Waiting For Superman {CleverFox}

[W1nchester]

It had been a long three years since Dean and Sam Winchester's father, John, passed away. It seemed that with every year--things managed to get worse. Sam died. Dean died. Dean was rescued--by an angel named Castiel. Great--Dean had thought, one more person to care about. One more person to disappoint. One more person to lose.

The passed year had been the worst. He and his cursed brother had inadvertently started the freaking Apocalypse. Lucifer had been risen from the Cage, Michael and two other archangels were going haywire--along with all their goons.

It was awful. And the feeling of guilt wrapped around Dean like a thick blanket--suffocating and pressuring him. He didn't think he could keep going.

It was nearly two in the morning. Sam was long asleep. Dean was still up, sucking down a big bottle of Jack Daniels--his favorite Tennessee Whiskey. Just one full bottle barely served to get him buzzed anymore. His head was definitely swimming, but not due to being 'drunk'. He was swamped with awful thoughts of suicide and sorrow. He had no idea what to do with himself.

The only feeling worse than wanting to kill yourself--is knowing you can't because you have responsibilities. Big responsibilities. World-vast responsibilities.

Dean needed help. But he didn't know what to do. And he was too stubborn to ask anyone to do anything for him. So he tried to cope through his ever-growing alcoholism. It wasn't working anymore, though. Even when it felt like he was made of the damn liquid, he couldn't get that feeling of guilt to go away for even a minute. So he just sat in the dark and contemplated his life--wishing to God that something could just...

Help him.

[CleverFox]

Castiel hadn't known what was going to transpire when he received orders to rescue Dean Winchester from Hell, he was merely a good soldier following orders. That was the beginning of the end of that side of him and the angel of the Lord never even realized that it was coming until it was too late to stop the avalanche that had been started. One that had started as an innocuous snowball that had just spiraled more and more out of control.

He had fought against that at first, wanting to remain that good little soldier.

But in the end Castiel had rebelled.

Now he stood side by side with the Winchesters and was fighting with them despite that all of Heaven wanted the brothers to just say yes to Michael and Lucifer, to agree to be the vessels that the fallen angel and the top archangel would use for their apocalyptic battle to the death. Castiel wanted to believe that there was another way and he wanted to believe that Dean was the one that could stop all of this without that being the endgame.

But recently he had noticed that Dean was...off.

Castiel didn't know what it was but he was worried about the first person that he had ever deemed a friend and that was the reason why he was watching Dean on this night, unbeknownst to the man himself because he could conceal himself when he chose to. And in this instance he chose to.

[W1nchester]

Dean nearly spent the entire night drinking. He looked at the amber liquid and furrowed his eyebrows. It was about three in the morning when the bottle was finally polished up. He got up, stretching his back and legs, popping his back quite a few times. He headed to the refrigerator, opening it up and looking around within it. He didn't see anything besides one bottle left in a six-pack, so he decided to go out on a beer run.

He left the motel silently, careful not to disturb the sleeping moose, and headed to his baby--his car. He got in and turned it on before pulling out and leaning back in his seat, rubbing his eyes, before driving to the nearest liquor store. He was glad this was a small town, because if he got pulled over, he was sure to get arrested for a DUI, even though he didn't feel too tipsy.

It would just be the breathalyzer that would bust him. He had said his ABCs backwards more times than he could count. He could do it without thinking. And he learned when he saw two lines, to walk between them. Or close his eyes and just move forward.

[CleverFox]

Castiel was silently contemplating just what he could do to help Dean as he watched the man drink the alcohol, which was something that he was familiar with since even he had been down that road. Granted it took a LOT more to get him drunk but it wasn't impossible to do as he had proven. But that was a matter for another time, for the moment he was more worried about his friend.

Yes, he was worried.

Contrary to what a lot of people thought he did have emotions even if they were stunted a bit from lack of use. He cared about the Winchesters and most specifically about Dean, the one that deserved saving the most but didn't even realize that was the case.

When the man decided to get up and leave Castiel followed along, the angel shaking his head slightly and popping into the car so that Dean would actually be able to see him. "Don't you think you've had enough?" he asked in his usual, slightly gravelly voice, his blue eyes locked onto Dean.

[W1nchester]

Dean flinched a little bit as Castiel popped into his car, though he played it off by easing back into his seat. He still didn't appreciate that the angel decided to freak him out by zapping into his car out of literally nowhere. His mouth was curved down into a frown as he asked his question.

"You've been watchin' me?" Dean asked, voice hard, and he forced a laugh. "Get a life."

Then he just shook his head, pressing down more on the gas pedal, wanting the angel just to leave him alone. "And no. I haven't. Thanks for askin'."

[CleverFox]

Castiel looked at Dean when the man told him to get a life but he just frowned slightly and replied, "I have responsibilities but i also have a duty to my friends...you included." Which was something that he took extremely seriously even if there wasn't anyone telling him that he had to do it. No, this wasn't something that he had to do, this was something that he wanted to do.

When Dean said that he hadn't had enough Castiel gave him what could only be called a reproachful look. "Drinking like that isn't going to make your problems go away Dean," he told the young man pointedly, knowing why it was that Dean was drinking so heavily because he had been there.

Maybe it had only been once, in a moment of weakness, but all the same he'd been there.

[W1nchester]

Dean shook his head again at the first thing that Castiel had said to him. "I'm not anyone's responsibility." He shot back to the angel. "Nor do I need ta be. If you wanna dote on someone, go to Sammy or an orphan or something." He said, rolling his eyes.

Then his frown deepened at the next part--about drinking. "Fuck off, Cas. You're not telling me anything that I already don't know. So save your holy breath." He spat at the angel of the Lord, fists gripping the steering wheel tighter in his bout of fury.

[CleverFox]

Castiel gave Dean what could only be described as a sympathetic look when the young man said that he wasn't anyone's responsibility and didn't need to be. "Sam has you to look after him...you are the one that needs someone to look after you whether you want to acknowledge that fact or not Dean," he said in a calm tone, not letting the young man upset him.

He was pretty hard to rattle after all.

"If you know it to be true then why do you persist in doing it?" he asked, ignoring what Dean said about saving his breath and not getting upset with him for it. He knew that it was at least partially the alcohol that was talking right now.

[W1nchester]

Dean was getting more and more annoyed with everything the angel said to him. He just kept shaking his head at him. He didn't want to have a heart-to-heart conversation. Especially with Castiel of all people. He heard his last question and just refused to answer it. He decided that maybe if he just ignored Cas, he would give up and poof away to do other things.

He turned on the radio, turning up a classic rock station, and proceeded to drive to the drive-thru of the liquor store, getting and paying for one bottle of Absolut Vodka, and he got a carton of orange juice too, to make screwdrivers at home. He thanked the guy and set his purchases on the seat, right next to him, before driving out and heading back to the motel room.

[CleverFox]

It was pretty clear that Dean was ignoring him right now and that was something that the angel wasn't happy about but he couldn't really force Dean to speak to him if the man wasn't inclined to do that. So the angel ended up pursing his lips slightly and watching as Dean continued with this self destructive behavior, Castiel trying to figure out just what it was that he could do to stop this spiral before it got out of control.

Before Dean really ended up hurt or something.

An idea occurred to him as Dean was heading back to the motel room and without a word he poofed out of the car with a rustle of wings. He ended up appearing at Bobby Singer's house, deciding that he was going to ask some advice of the man that knew the Winchesters best. He would have asked Sam but he thought it would be easier to get answers if Dean wasn't anywhere around and since Dean and Sam were pretty much attached at the hip most of the time this just seemed like the easier route.

So he appeared in Bobby's study and looked at the man as he said, "We need to talk."