**DISCLAIMER**

In no way do I own Sam, Dean, or Castiel. Heheh. *Dreams of them locked in chains in her basement*. Ahem. They're owned by whoever made SPN and of course, that genius Kripke.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**/END DISCLAIMER.**

Sam and Dean were going through another "rough time". Dean was angry at Sam, for some reason he couldn't explain, and Sam was mad that he wasn't getting an explanation. Dean didn't know how to explain. In his head, it seemed like it was because Sam was getting careless with his life. They had just finished a job and Dean had had to save Sam from at least three situations which Sam could have avoided if he'd cared to. But it seemed like he hadn't.

Sam was sitting on his queen bed in a T-shirt and boxers, using his laptop to look for their next job. Dean was sitting on his own queen in the same attire – but much cooler looking, he thought. He was doing nothing but staring at the ceiling and drinking a can of beer. He was of the firm opinion that one should relax after finishing a job. Sam thought otherwise.

Another point of contention.

Dean took another swig of his beer and realized his can was empty. "We're outta beer," he announced loudly.

Sam grunted.

Dean sighed and got up to slip on a pair of jeans that smelled ripe. "Where're you going?" Sam asked, without taking his eyes from the screen.

"Out," Dean smiled, picking up the keys from the table.

"No duh," Sam replied, rolling his eyes, finally looking at Dean. Victory, thought Dean. "Where?"

Dean shrugged. "To get some beer. Maybe some pie."

Sam became uninterested again. "Save me a piece."

Dean headed out the door.

Outside, Dean was surprised to see Cas leaning against his Impala. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he unlocked his car and climbed in the driver's seat.

Cas opened the passenger seat and sat in beside him. "I was…," he furrowed his brow in that typical Castiel way. "Bored."

Dean turned the key and backed out of his space. He grinned at Cas. "You – bored?" He laughed. Then he grew serious. "You're feeling human emotions." He was thinking of the time he met future Cas – the fully human Cas. The one who wasn't really Cas. Not the Cas he knew.

Castiel looked at Dean strangely, and said cryptically, "Yes. It seems I am."

The ride to the local grocery store was quiet until they pulled in and Dean looked at Cas as they got out of the car and asked, "Dude, you're creeping me out. Why are you staring at me like that?"

Castiel immediately turned away from Dean. "I'm not staring at you."

Dean laughed. "You were totally staring."

"This is how normal humans look at each other."

"You're not a normal human, Cas, you're a frickin' angel. And you were staring."

Castiel's mouth twitched. "I was not. Now let's get whatever you came here for." He strode purposefully toward the store. Dean shook his head and followed him in.

Inside, Cas's indignant demeanor was replaced by wonder. "I've never been in a store like this before," he told Dean, staring at the rows of produce. "It's so very…convenient. And bright."

"Dude, stop being obvious, " Dean whispered back, pickin up a pack of beer and three mini pies. They were the only ones in the store so late at night, and the cashier was looking at them weird.

When they got back to the car without incident, Dean unlocked it but instead of opening the driver's door, he got in the backseat and began to eat his pie.

Cas opened the shotgun door and stuck is head in. "Dean. You're not driving."

Dean looked around, and then took another big bite of pie. Without swallowing, he said, "I guess I'm not."

Castiel closed the door and then got in the other backseat door and sat next to Dean. He accepted a pie and plastic spork and stared at it a little while before asking, "Why?"

There was a long pause where Castiel could only hear the sound of Dean chewing. He could barely see him because they were parked far from the store's entrance and the light didn't reach them. Cas finally realized that Dean wasn't going to answer, so he asked, "You and Sam are arguing again?"

Dean gave a bitter smile. "Give the man a prize." He cracked open a beer and offered it to Cas. Then he opened his own and took a swig.

"So...we're not going back to the motel any time soon?" Cas asked.

Dean sighed. "Just drink your beer, Cas." Castiel dutifully took a sip.

It was quiet for a while, but Cas felt chatty tonight. "What is this argument about?"

Dean leaned forward and looked frustrated. "I don't know how to tell Sammy not to give up. And even if I did tell him, you know Sammy and orders. He'd give up just to spite me." He took a longer drink from his beer and stared at nothing.

"You think Sam is going to give up?" Cas asked quietly.

"God, I don't know," said Dean, sounding helpless. The worry, confusion, and fear was evident on his face. He was taking sips faster now. Cas took a quiet sip from his own beer but before he had the chance to ask another question, Dean had continued on his own.

"I mean, he's been acting like he doesn't care if he lives or dies. I've barely been living again...and he wants to throw away his life? Since the beginning, all I've wanted was to keep our family together. It's just Sam and me, now. And he keeps talking about giving himself up to save the world or whatever, asif he's not...," his voice cracked and he took a final drink of beer before finishing quietly, "As if he's not worth the world."

Dean looked at Cas with such heart-wrenching anguish that he couldn't help saying it. "You're worth the world," he whispered. "And more."

Dean looked at him, confused. "What'd you say?" he asked, leaning towards Cas so he could hear better. Cas leaned as well, so they were bent towards each other.

"You're worth more than the world," Castiel breathed, and before Dean could say anything, he closed the space between them with a kiss.

Usually cas could barely taste anything. As a heavenly being, his "unnecessary" senses were duller than those of a mortal's. So with the beer and the pie, he'd only gotten a ghost of the flavor. But with Dean? He could taste Dean...He picked up crumbs as he ran his toungue over Dean's lips and could faintly get the cinnamon. He tasted like something warm and familiar to Castiel and he'd never experienced anything like it before. He made a little noise and pushed harder.

But then Dean pulled away. Castiel was left looking into Dean's puzzled and, a little scared, gaze. Why had he pulled away?

Dean cleared his throat and then opened his door. "Beer," he said hoarsely. "Makes you do crazy things." He got out and dropped his can onto the ground. Then he climbed into the front seat and started the car. When he looked back in his rearview mirror, Cas was gone, flashed out. Leaving his beer and pie on the seat. Dean quietly returned to a motel room where he'd find Sam asleep at his computer, and where he could be alone with thoughts he didn't want to be thinking.