2 - Lucien, stop hitting on the newcomer!

Friday had come faster than expected - unfortunately enough, one might add. Dean had picked up Castiel at the end of his lessons, all proud and grinning in his beloved Impala, after getting his weekend working turns covered. As they got closer and closer to his friend's hometown, however, he had gotten visibly more worried and grim, just to whine a "Damn, do we really have to?" as soon as they had parked in a free spot in front of the house.
It was just as Dean remembered it from Castiel's childhood; the garden where he used to play with Balthazar, the small pebbles on which he had fallen and scratched his knee so many times he had lost count, the big door leading to the hall. That house was, for a lack of better words, impressive. Well, it had to be, considering just how many people lived in there - and the status of Castiel's father. Dean swallowed when he found himself standing in front of the gate, suddenly nervous about confronting people that he had been silently loathing (well, most of them, at least) for the past twenty-something years. He turned to Castiel though, and smiled an hopefully reassuring smile. "You ok, Cas?"

Castiel wasn't okay. He was dead nervous inside. Seeing his father or Gabriel wasn't a hassle. Hell, seeing Raphael might not be even half painful. But what he dreaded the most were Michael, Lucien, and last but not least, his own mother. He took a deep breath, and nodded to Dean, before he knocked hard on the door. "I have to," he whispered to him. He needed to be brave, for Dean.

Dean's gaze softened. "Hey", he said gently, patting Castiel's arm. "I am here with you, like I've always been - alright? Covering your back. We'll go through this together. And, since that's not my family, I won't have any qualms about kicking someone's ass if it gets too much to bear." He smiled at him. "You just gotta ask." He was actually pretty serious about that.

Castiel smiled fondly at Dean. More fondly that you would look at a friend, even your best friend. And that's the sight that greeted Rachel, who was the one opening the door to greet her baby. She actually paused for a moment, but since they weren't holding hands, and Castiel turned to her, her face - still oddly beautiful, given her age - lit up with a smile. But for Dean, who had been able to study her for years, it could be easily obvious that this smile was a bit forced. "Cassie!" She exclaimed, pulling Castiel closer for a tight embrace.
"Hi... mom," Castiel replied a bit awkwardly. He did hug his mother back, but was the one to part away first. "Mom, this is Dean, my best friend. Thank you for allowing him over for the week with me."
"Why, your best friend? And you've never mentioned him before?" Rachel politely smiled at Dean, and offered him her hand. "My, aren't you gorgeous, young man."

Of course Dean would notice her smile wasn't nearly as natural as it looked. He had been watching that family for years, as said! But he swallowed down his deep dislike for that woman, and opened in a smile, nodding to her. "It's a pleasure, ma'am - you yourself, I am impressed! You look so young! I couldn't have imagined you were Castiel's mother", he answered politely, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss its back. "And thank you, again, for allowing me to stay here for the week!" Yes. He was going to try and behave at his best.

Rachel beamed when she found out Dean was so gentleman-ly. "Please, call me Rachel ~ Come on in, boys! I've arranged your room, Cassie. Balthazar's bed is made up too, so he'll be able to sleep there. Gabriel and Lucifer will be sleeping in their own rooms, since Mike and Raph are staying at a hotel with their girlfriends-"
"Mom, you said 'Lucifer' again," Castiel sighed, by pure reflex, as he stepped into his old home, carrying his bag.
"Did I, now?" Rachel replied absent-mindedly. She didn't care. At all. She went for the living room to take care of some stuff, while Castiel gestured the way upstairs to Dean. He already needed a break.

Dean swiftly followed Castiel, not really wishing to get tangled into a conversation with his mother more than he had to. "So I'm going to sleep in Balthazar's bed then? I got that right?", Dean asked as he pulled his own bag over his shoulder, to make sure his friend was alright. Knowing Balthazar, the idea of the two of them sleeping in the same room would have overjoyed him. But no one could know that.
As they made their way to Castiel's room, they did pass in front of Lucifer's room, the door ominously ajar. But no one could be heard inside for the moment...

Castiel warily eyed the door to Lucien - and Michael's - room, but sighed with relief as soon as they were past it, to open his own old room. "If that's alright by you? If not, you can have my bed. Don't worry, none of us ever brought anyone... in our beds. I mean. That would have been awkward, with the room-sharing." They might have a big house, they hadn't planned it for a family of six boys. So all of them had shared room with a brother - safe for Lucien, who, for years, had managed to stay alone. Until Castiel was born. Because there was no way neither Chuck or Rachel would have had their youngest baby sleep in the same room as their most rebellious teen.

Dean nodded. "Don't worry - I don't mind. We share the same apartment, sharing the room will be fun", he commented with a smile, dumping his bag on Balthazar's bed. "And I know how it feels - I've been sharing rooms with my brother since... well, since forever, basically!" He sat down, and looked around with a smile. "I have a lot of memories of you in this place", he said. "They're not all happy, not at all, but I am fond of the good moments you had with your two favourite brothers." He smiled at Castiel.

Castiel smiled back at Dean. "I hope you and Gabriel will get along. I know he dreads coming here as much as I do, and probably came just so I don't feel like I'm being thrown into the lion's den alone."

"Knowing him, I am sure we'll get plenty along", Dean joked, just as someone knocked on the room's door. He looked at it, frowning and honestly a bit scared about going to open it himself. He just decided to wait for Castiel to do that.
That someone knocking on the door seemed pretty impatient, though!

Castiel frowned a bit, just as worried at Dean. But he did get up to answer the door. Maybe he recognized that knocking, but to which one of his relatives did it belong to, again?

"Oh, thank God!" Gabriel basically threw himself into the room, closing the door behind himself. "I know Lucien's already here, and I really don't want to stumble into him in the corridors. It will be a better excuse if I'm busy catching up in another room!" He sighed, then smiled brightly at Castiel. "Well, hello there, Cas!"

Castiel's face lit up with a smile. And he all but dived into Gabe's arms for a hug. "I'm so glad you're there already!"

Gabriel laughed, patting his litle brother's back. "I did my best to come here early. Since Rachel couldn't stop whining about the fact that she had gotten her precious little bean to come back home!" He squeezed Castiel a bit, then let him go. "I've also heard that Balthazar won't be able to come - that one always has an excuse to avoid family meetings." He sighed, then peeked curiously to Dean, who just minded himself to stay at his place not to disturb the cute reunion scene.
Gabe smirked, side-eyeing Castiel. "So he wasn't lying when he said you got yourself a hot piece of ass as 'best friend'", he whispered to him, elbowing him in the side.

Castiel elbowed Gabriel back, trying not to meet his gaze. He was more than embarrassed already. "Please. Don't make insinuations. I don't want mom to freak out, and I don't want to come out to her. Ever," he whispered back, genuinely scared by the consequences of coming out to his family while being stuck there.

"Do you seriously think I could out you by mistake? After I kept Balthazar's secret for way longer than yours?" Gabriel let out something close to a scandalized sound, shaking his head. "You wound me, Cas!" He winked at him, then stepped over to Dean. "So, seeing as my brother won't introduce me first, I'll do that myself. Hi, I'm Gabriel", he said, flashing him a smile.
Den smiled himself, getting up from the bed and accepting Gabriel's offered hand. "Hey! I'm Dean. It's a pleasure!"

Castiel bit back the soft possessiveness rising in his guts, but finally managed to ease down. After all, it was Gabriel. He had proved more than enough to him that he wouldn't try to hit on Dean. "Dean's my best friend. We- met at his workplace. And we've been roommates for a while now." At least, that was the story they were going for so far, giving that it's what they had told Michael. Then he remained thoughtful a bit. "Gabe, is dad home already?"

"That's very nice! I'm glad to know you aren't all alone in that apartment in the big city", Gabriel exclaimed with a happy grin, then turning to Dean again, wagging a finger at him. "Have you managed to make him get out a bit? If I know this guy as well as I do, he probably just studies and nothing else!"
Dean laughed. "Believe it or not, I did manage to drag him into a couple of bars!" He grinned at Castiel, just as Gabriel answered "Good, good!" His smile faltered a bit as he let go of Dean's hand, though. "No, he still has not arrived. You know him - he'd rather sleep in his office than with Rachel." He sighed dramatically.

"Gabe-" Castiel began, almost scolding Gabriel for that mental image. Then again, the reason they stopped having kids after him wasn't because they suddenly introduced contraception in their lives, nor because Rachel had grown too old for that, let's face it.
He sighed, and then licked his lower lip, a bit nervously. "Do you know what... Lucien has been up to, lately?" He was more-or-less asking whether or not he had barely avoided prison. Again.

"Surprisingly enough? Nothing new. I know he's still in the same... weird circles still, and that he still handles not-so-clean stuff." Gabriel sighed again, seeming actually relieved about that. "Dad's been keeping a close eye on him, and that annoys Luci so much he just cannot shut up about it. And, he still hasn't murdered someone. Which means I owe Balthazar some money."
Dean snorted. It was good he hadn't been actually there at the time that bet was made, or he'd have owed Balthazar money too!

Castiel held back a smile. "I'm- relieved to hear that, I suppose. So this is why he's around those holidays? Dad won't let him go too far away from home?"

"Yup, that's it", Gabriel confirmed with a nod. "That, and... well. It's not like Lucien has that much money on his side. Periodically he comes back to the nest, harvests some funds, and then disappears again." He shook his head. "That man is a parasite, I swear to God."

Castiel held back a smile. "So I get he's still not found himself a job aside from his ... shady gang business?" Well. What other way could one name that, after all.

Gabriel shot him a smirk. "Well, do you really think someone would take him in, with that criminal history of his?" He laughed. "No matter how much dad covers the traces of it, something will still remain in the files!" He seemed a bit too joyful about that situation. But after all, he had always hated how their father always forced his hand on that aspect of Lucien's life.