Part 5/24: Kenopsia noun 1. the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet
It used to be that Castiel loved the bunker at night.
Before, when he was still an angel (and on the rare occasions he spent the
night), he would wander the quiet halls or sit up in the library. The steady
ticking of the clock in the war room and the hum of the refrigerator were
welcome and comforting sounds, reminders of the precious souls that worked and breathed
and lived within the bunker’s walls. And in some small way, it was as though
Castiel was keeping watch, standing guard over his human charges. His family.
He would walk past their bedroom doors and hear soft sounds and gentle snores
and he would know that all was well.
Since he fell, nights in the bunker have stopped being a comfort;
for reasons Castiel can’t identify, the building unnerves him. When it’s late,
the only place he can find any kind of solace is his own bedroom. It’s
isolating, yes, lonesome even. But the walls don’t feel so close and the air
doesn’t seem so… dead.
Castiel likes the car though. He always has, despite his grumblings
about wings and cramped spaces and the dullness of driving. But the Impala is
different, somehow separate from all of that. She’s a part of the family, as
much as anyone. She’s a wife and a mother and a protector; she’s safety and
she’s home.
And now, traveling down the 160 with the radio playing
softly and Sam and Dean bickering in the front seat, Castiel feels more calm
and at peace than he has in weeks.
“Hey, Cas.”
Castiel blinks and looks forward. Dean’s turned around in
the front seat, looking at him expectantly. It’s with some surprise that
Castiel notes they’re parked; he’s apparently been staring off into space.
“Chow time, you comin’ in?” Dean says, then starts climbing
out of the driver’s seat.
“Yeah, right,” Castiel says, peering through the windshield
at the dingy-looking Burger King. Its harsh, glowing sign lights up the empty parking
lot, and when Castiel steps out of the car after Dean, he notes that the road
behind them is completely deserted too. It must be very late. “Where are we?”
“Kayenta. Still a couple hours out,” Dean says over his
shoulder.
One Small Kiss, Pulling Away For An Instant, Then Devouring Each Other
@ladylilithprime deserves co-author credit for this one as I’m just developing this into fic.
Visiting the bar became more frequent for Sam, now that he had Cas to use for cover. Castiel was very happy to have him there – sitting close together, the occasional casual touch, Anna would probably call Castiel an idiot but he would gladly take what he could get.
Right now, Sam was off playing a game of darts with Dean against some visiting friends of theirs, Ellen and Jo Harvelle. Castiel had chosen to stay at the table to make sure no one took it. He regretted that when Becky came walking up to him. “Sam’s busy.”
“I know. You don’t interrupt him when he’s in a game of darts against Jo Harvelle. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. You and Sam are weird! Sam never lets anyone sit close like that, even when they’ve got a bunch of friends visiting, except Dean. And you know, I know they’re brothers so it would never happen, but if I didn’t know they were brothers I’d think there was something else going on there. I mean, everyone knows Sam’s bi, and there are a lot of people who think Dean is too he just won’t admit it for some screwed-up reason.”
A shout from Jo drew Castiel and Becky’s attention. Lisa had just showed up and interrupted the game to plant a kiss on Dean. Becky smirked. “And then there’s Dean’s thing for Lisa. They really need to just get together already, don’t you think?”
“I think when and if Dean and Lisa get together is entirely up to the two of them, and that my opinion of the matter is completely irrelevant.”
“Whatever. So why does Sam let you so close to him?” Becky asked.
Sam sat close to Castiel because it helped keep clueless people from coming over and hitting on either one of them. Sam acted in a way that would cause people to assume they were together so that people would make that assumption. Therefore, Castiel didn’t hesitate to tell Becky, “There is something happening with Sam and me. We are not brothers.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it wasn’t a lie, either. Castiel had fallen in love with Sam in his not-quite year on Earth, and Sam… Castiel wasn’t certain whether it was wishful thinking or truth that Sam seemed to enjoy the excuse to act like boyfriends as much as he did.
Becky pouted. “No fair. I saw him first!”
Castiel scowled at her. He’d never liked Becky, but this sort of petulance was pushing it into active hate. “It’s not about who saw him first. It’s about who Sam chooses to be with that matters, and he has made it very clear that he does not choose to be with you. If he chooses to be with me, you have no right to interfere, and I’m certainly not enough of a fool to say no and attempt to force him to choose you instead just because you ‘saw him first’.”
A gasp drew both of their attention. Sam was standing right there. “Cas?”
“Sam. Becky was…”
Sam stared at Castiel, and then moved to press a soft kiss to his lips. He pulled back. “Is this okay?”
“Yes. Very.” Castiel pulled him back into a much stronger kiss.
His grace has faded, his strength is gone, he needs to sleep and eat at regular intervals. He showers, he gets runny noses, and he finds himself unable to listen to power ballads without tearing up.
Karate, SPN Demonic Octopus Guardian 
![[non-animated image]](http://i.imgur.com/LBHpAlq.png){kind=link}