Asking For Help

Sitting cross legged in the creaky wooden chair pulled up to the dark stained table, (y/n) watches through furrowed eyebrows as Dean downs another glass of amber liquid, hand pressing on the keyboard of his laptop. Stubbled face illuminated by the light glow of the computer, he catches her staring at him. He smirks

"Like what you see, Tweety?"

(s/c) skin flushing in embarrassment, never been openly flirted with before, (y/n) snaps her head to the side to avert her gaze. Dean chuckles lightly in response, finding her awkward state somewhat endearing. Suddenly, a familiar thudding of boots gains the pair's attention, heads turning to watch as Sam walks into the small kitchen.

"You want some coffee with that?" He motions to his brothers drink. Dean sighs tiredly

"It's 6:00 P.M. somewhere"

"We got to hit the road" Sam leans against the archway, head shaking slightly as he continues ,"I mean, how are we supposed to get Cas to that lab by 3:59 A.M.?"

"We don't" Dean states it as a fact, green eyes staring at his brother as he takes another sip of his drink. Sam looks to (y/n) for some understanding, but she's just as confused as him.

"What do you mean, 'we don't'?"

"I mean we can't bring a horse to water and we can't make it drink. Why fool ourselves?"

"Dean..." (y/n) calls out to the man softly, carefully trying to pick her words to not anger him any more ,"You saw Castiel. He's a powder keg about to explode, I could feel those souls destroying him from the inside out. We have to at least try."

The room falls silent, Dean refusing to respond to her and instead opting to drown himself in his liquor. Sam's light eyes search his brothers, a knowing look crossing his face.

"Dean, look, I know you think Cas is gone-"

"It's cause he is"

"He's not! He's in there somewhere, Dean. I know it"

"No, you don't" Dean challenges, watching in slight amusement as his brother tries to defend himself only to give up with a sigh

"...I don't, but look! I was pretty far gone sometimes myself, and you never gave up on me."

"Yeah, and as it turns out-" Dean leans forward in his chair, roughly setting his now empty glass down on the table ,"-you're about the same open book as you've always been."

Sam looks over to (y/n) slowly sinking down into her own seat, unsure how to handle being in the middle of this tense conversation. Before Sam is able to respond, Dean pours himself another glass of liquor

"Hallucinations? Really?" He accuses his brother now avoiding his intense gaze ,"I got to find out from Death?"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"How about not lying? How about telling me that you've got crazy crap climbing those walls?"

"Why?" Dean glares at Sam, frustration evident on his face ,"You can't help. You got a lot of pretty severe crap swinging your way lately, and I thought...why burst the one good bubble you had left?"

It's then that it's clear to Dean that Sam must have heard the conversion he and Bobby had about him the other day. Poking a tongue into his cheek in annoyance, he turns away from Sam, green eyes focused on the window.

"It's under control" Sam tries to reassure his brother but it met with another cold glare

"What? What, exactly, is under control?"

"I know what's real and what's not-"

"Sam-"

"Dean, look, we can debate this once we deal with Cas"

(y/n) watches awkwardly from the side as a tense silence falls between the pair of men, jaws tightening in frustration upon realizing that they can't get through to one another. Dean, lifting the glass to his pink lips and taking a long sip, clears his throat loudly

"You know how I'm gonna deal?" He stares into each of their eyes and smiles bitterly ,"I'm gonna stuff my piehole, I'm gonna drink, and I'm gonna watch some asian cartoon porn. Act like the world's about to explode because it is"

Without waiting for a response from either of the two, he focuses all of his attention onto the glowing screen in front of him. (y/n) watches in curiosity as Dean slowly sets his glass down, eyebrows furrowing as he scans the laptop.

"You gotta be kidding me..." he mumbles quietly to himself before sliding the computer around to face Sam and (y/n). (e/c) eyes quickly reading the bold lettering of the news article, she looks to the brothers

"'Massacre at the campaign office of an incumbent senator by a trench-coated man.'" Sam reads out the first few lines of the article before Dean clicks onto a link posted near the top of the page

"There's security footage." opening up the tab, the group watches as the video begins. Grey washed and blurry, they can make out Castiel's stumbling form confront the small room of people. (y/n) finds the hair on her skin standing at the sight of the dark haired man laughing hysterically, crazed eyes snapping to stare directly into the security camera before the footage is completely corrupted.

"Well, I think reaching Cas is...out of the cards" Dean chuckles bitterly, downing the entirety of the amber liquid in his glass. Without saying a word, Sam stands from his leaning position and begins to walk out of the kitchen. Dean and (y/n) watch as he makes his way out of the front door, beat up wood creaking as he swings it shut behind him.

"(y/n)-" calling her name softly, surprising her, Dean stares at the front door.

"Watch him?" She asks gently, sensing the anxiety he feels upon not being able to keep his brother in his sight, but unable to go after him. He nods slowly, clearing his throat and focusing his attention back onto his laptop without another word. Deciding to just comply, she makes her way outside to follow after Sam's massive form as it disappears behind a maze of car wreckage.

"(y/n)?" catching up to the giant, walking beside him as he continues his anxious stride, Sam furrows his eyebrows at her presence

"Dean seems to think you need a babysitter" (y/n) explains playfully, watching as he rolls his eyes in response. Walking silently together, the sun's orange glow warming everything in its path as it begins it's disappearing act behind the horizon, the pair find themselves enjoying each other's presence.

"What you were saying earlier, about Castiel-" (y/n) suddenly begins speaking, voice soft as she continues somewhat absentmindedly as Sam listens ,"-you're right."

"What?"

"He's still in there-" (y/n) explains slowly, recalling what she saw when they had first met ,"-Somewhere, deep down in that melting meat suit, is the angel you and your brother need to help."

"How do you know?"

"He isn't the one in charge anymore. The things he's doing now are destructive, messy, things an angel like him wouldn't have done if he could help it. Maybe we should stop looking at him as a threat, and instead look at him as a friend who needs help."

"That's easier said than done..." Sam mumbles to himself, running a hand through his light brown locks. Suddenly, as if a light bulb went off above his head, (y/n) watches curiously as an idea makes its way through Sam's mind.

"I'm going to try something-" He starts, eyeing the girl as she listens with a fond smile ,"-but you have to promise not to make fun of me"

"I would never" (y/n) chuckles lightly, watching as the man takes a deep breath before craning his head up to the sky. Letting out a controlled exhale, eyes fluttering shut as a silence falls upon the pair, Sam begins to pray to the angel

"Hey, Castiel-" he's hesitant to continue, confidence diminishing slightly ,"-maybe this is pointless...I don't know if any part of you even cares, but I still think you're one of us, deep down."

(y/n) watches to the side as he begins to pace slightly, his massive body unsure how to handle itself during this prayer. His voice was gentle, almost afraid to leave his lips, as he addressed his friend. (y/n) could tell he was putting a lot of energy into this, pouring emotions into every word to try and get Castiel to understand if he was even listening.

"We still have until dawn to stop this-" He continues, light eyes scanning the darkened sky as he pleads ,"-let us help you, please."

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Slowly making their way into the cluttered home, Sam's larger body shielding (y/n)'s as they walk together, the faint echo of erotic noises causes the pair to scrunch up their noses in slight disgust. Striding into the kitchen, Dean having never left his spot at the wooden table, Sam scoffs lightly

"Really?" He asks in disbelief, watching as his brother pours him a drink. Offering the glass over the laptop, Sam rolls his eyes, taking the drink from his brothers hand

"What?" Dean asks defensively

"You know (y/n)'s here, right?"

"No she's not-" Before the words can fully pass his lips, (y/n) takes this as her cue to step out from behind Sam and wave awkwardly at the now embarrassed brother. Clearing his throat loudly in a poor attempt to cover up the high pitched moans from his speakers, he slams the computer shut. Sam snickers into his beverage, taking a seat across from his brother.

"It was just an...ad?" Dean lamely defends himself only to get a playful smile in response

"Whatever you say, big guy"

(y/n) making her way over to the fridge in the corner, throws open the door and peers inside. Grabbing a hold of a soda, the cold aluminum warming to the touch of her fingertips, she stands back up. A shiver runs down her spine suddenly. A familiar presence overtook the room. Turning around slowly on her heels, (y/n)'s (e/c) eyes widen at the sight before her

"Castiel..." Whispering the name loud enough for the Winchester brothers to hear, they snap their heads to follow her gaze. There, leaning tiredly against the door frame with blood splattered across the entirety of his body, was the angel they knew had just come back from a murdering spree. (y/n), watching the man carefully, can feel his power. Seeping out of his body like tar at a dangerous speed. The fuse to this bomb was growing too short.

"Sam-" His gruff voice is hoarser than before, almost painful to hear ,"-I heard your call"

His body suddenly tips to the side, shoulder crashing into the wall. He tries to steady himself with his hands, fingers grasping desperately at the wood and leaving behind trails of dried blood along the pale wallpaper. Before his body is able to completely collapse into itself, (y/n) instinctively rushes to the man's side, determining him to not be a threat at the moment. Wrapping her arm around his torso, she supports most of his weight. With a pained groan, he stares at the brothers, bright blue eyes holding a clarity that wasn't quite there before.

"I need help."