"Dude, my soulmate is an astronaut"

Dean nodded. "Thanks, Sam", he finally said, in a sincere voice. He was honestly kind of glad his brother was there. At least he didn't feel utterly alone with that awful ball of feelings clawing at his stomach like a feral beast.

"... Come here, dude," Sam said to him with a soft voice, as he brought his brother closer for a hug. "Please wait five minutes before you complain about how much of a loser I am, okay?" he asked with a kind smile.

"Yeah, yeah", Dean muttered, letting his brother manhandle him a bit begrudgingly, his voice muffled. "But if you start telling me about the importance of crying and letting your feeling all out I swear-", he threw in, joking half a menace.

"Oh no, don't worry, I'll offer that after your big, green, atrocious drink that I'm about to bring to you," Sam joked, knowing how Dean hated that. "Listen, I'll make you breakfast later, for once. With bacon and all."

"Well, ain't that music for my ears", Dean managed to throw him a toothy smile. Even if, to be completely honest, his stomach felt a bit clogged at the moment. "The bacon, I mean. Not that other... green... stuff. I am not a friggin' rabbit."

Sam chuckled, and patted his back. "I should be done in half an hour. Take your time to take a shower, it'll make you feel better." He squizzed his brother just a tad bit, then let him go, and stood up. Ready to check on Castiel.

Dean nodded, the heavy weight on his shoulders seemingly having lifted a bit. He finally got up from his bed, his bones cracking in protest. "Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks, Sam", he said again. It was definitely sincere.

Sam smiled back at him, and went to check on Castiel. He did prepare the promised bacon afterwards, though, trying to hide his worried frown.

Dean joined him after taking a long, long (and unnecessarily cold) shower, trying his best to cover up the fact that he definitely wasn't feeling as alright as he was so intent in showing. "Is something burning yet?", he asked with a grin, walking into the kitchen.

"Just the pan. And the bacon," Sam joked, forcing a smile, as he put everything into a plate. "So. Would you like me to find us a case after that, for the two of us?"

Dean let himself fall on the chair, a quiet sigh escaping his lips. Yes. Probably working a case was what he needed right now. But a 'yes' wasn't the thing that rolled out of his mouth when he opened it. "You saw Cas?", he asked instead, the 'is he alright' implicit in the question.

"... Yeah. Yeah I saw him," Sam answered awkwardly. He sat in front of Dean, looking at him intensely. "Dean. Do you worry about him, or are you asking out of... habit?"

Dean frowned. "... what do you mean, 'out of habit'", he asked back, a hint of irritation showing in his voice. "I am worried sick. He went through a lot, and when he left my room he looked like he had just gouged his heart out. So, no, yeah, I ask out of habit, Sam", he added, leaning back on his chair. Did his brother think he was a heartless bitch now or what?

Sam bit his lips. And hesitated for a long whilr whether or not he should be honest with his brother, then... sighed heavily. "I think- I think he's terrible, Dean. And yet I think he's got no clue."

Dean's stomach dropped. He looked at his brother for a long moment, before turning his face and sigh a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What should I do, Sam?", he just asked, quietly, after a bit of silence. "Do you think leaving him at his own devices is a good idea?"

"I honestly don't know, Dean," Sam replied to him, looking worried. He was about to add something, when Castiel himself stepped into the room, his expression blank, and his back stiff. A bit like when they met him for the first time.
"I will be going," Castiel announced flatly. "Thank you for welcoming me tonight, Sam."

Dean noticed something was off with Castiel the moment he stepped into that room. He frowned, scrunching his brows together, scrutinizing his rigid posture. "Cas?", he tried, worry in his voice, forgetting for a second that he wasn't really supposed to... Well. Ask what was wrong. Because he knew.

Castiel tilted his head to the side, as he faced Dean. The night before, he had been completely heartbroken, and wrecked. That morning, though, he looked at Dean as if he were a mere... stranger to him. As if he had not gone through the worst night of his life.

Dean's voice seemed to get stuck in his throat. He hadn't seen that expression of confusion and quiet disinterest since... since forever. "Are you ok?" When he managed to ask that, his voice sounded foreign to his own ears.

"I think so," Castiel answered, a bit confused himself. "I remember feeling... terrible lately. Desperately hooked to you, in fact." He frowed slightly for a short while. "But it is gone, now."

Sam swallowed hard, carefully studying Dean's expression. That was exactly what he meant when Cas did not get how bad things had turned out for him.

For some reason, that wasn't doing a great job in making him feel better. Not in the slightest. And it was all too easy to read it on his face. "Good", he heard himself answering, even forcing out a small smile. "I am... glad if you feel alright." No, he wasn't alright. Castiel was looking like everything but Cas in that moment.

Castiel nodded, a bit confused by Dean's words. He didn't dwell on it, though. "I'll be gone, then. Have a nice day," he said, before he exited through the door.
"Dean, I'm sorry," Sam whispered after a few seconds, worried to see his brother so heartbroken.

Dean turned towards his brother, trying to look more confused than hurt by all that indifference. Because yes. Yes, he was feeling hurt, and he didn't need to be a feelings expert to know that. "What the hell?", he could just ask.

Sam pressed his lips together. "If he's the one who cut your thread, I think it means all of his feelings for you have disappeared. All of them", he completed, almost whispering.

Dean stared at his brother, his face blank. He drew in a shaky breath. "He- he had told me everything was going to be alright", he murmured, passing a hand over his face, turning away from Sam's worried gaze. "That it was going to be like it was before." If for the past days his stomach and intestines had been reminding him of their presence a bit too much, now it was like they weren't even there at all.