4 - Complications

Hanakael had now been dating Crowley for a few weeks. He was pretty glad to notice his boss always made a point to spend evenings with him, including on week days now. He had finally managed to push his lover just enough to let him cook for him on that Saturday evening. Unfortunately for Crowley, dinner was far long ready by the time he showed up into the apartment, so Hanakael had put clothes on.


Meanwhile, far away in that city, Castiel was busy chuckling while kissing back Dean, and pushed on his boyfriend's torso. "I thought you wanted to watch a movie tonight," he gently teased him, while, let's be honest, he had already been sprawled all over the sofa, with Dean on top of him for the past ten minutes.

Crowley came in, as usual, as if he owned the place. Which he did, let's be honest. But still.
Those few weeks had been... kind of a weird revelation. The demon found himself getting more and more handsy with his young apprentice. More... attached. Loving, if we must. And that kind of weird, gut-twisting feeling he got every time he looked at Hanakael worried him to no end. It had to stop, somehow, he found himself thinking while he held his lover after a long, passionate and steamy night.
But there he was, nonetheless. He closed the door and smirked at Hanakael, opening his arms. "Honey, I'm home", he purred.

Dean smiled brightly - and a bit insolently - down at his boyfriend. "I like what I am watching now", he said grinning, like the dork he was. He even raised an eyebrow, just to make sure Castiel understood that he was talking seriously, before leaning down to kiss his neck, ignoring happily those hands pushing weakly on his chest.

Hanakael chuckled and walked up to Crowley, to kiss him fondly, while wrapping his arms around him. "How was your last meeting?" he asked him then, with a soft smile.

Castiel laughed softly, and indeed didn't really try to push Dean away, instead lazily moving his head to the side to grant him more access, with a soft moan.
He actually was so relaxed he didn't react right away when he heard knocking on the front door, as well as said door opening because they had forgotten to lock it up.

"It was..." Crowley hummed, thinking of the right word as his hands moved to rest oh so naturally on his lover's waist. "... psychologically scarring. People, stupidity... you know the drill", he smirked as he caught his lips for a kiss. "And it made me be late for the show. I see you're already all covered up", he added with a disappointed sigh. "Well. What's for dinner?"

Dean was definitely too engrossed into what he was currently doing - leaving a red mark with his teeth on Castiel's neck - to notice any noise outside of his boyfriend's heartbeat and his own breathing getting a bit heavier as he pressed his hips down against the other's.

Hanakael held back a smile, and hung Crowley's coat before he took his hand to take him to the dining room, where he had set up a romantic setting. "I've cooked some appetizers, a fine piece of beef for our main courses, and then I thought we might have sex before or after I finish cooking dessert. By the kitchen rules you set up, I'll have to get naked anyway," he added with a sinful smile.

Castiel vaguely protested, almost moaning Dean's name. It wasn't ever easy to hide the marks he left on his throat, yet he would lie if he said he didn't like being marked by him.
Suddenly, though, his eyes shot wide open and he tensed when he heard Michael's all-too-familiar voice calling for him.

Crowley smirked, lips curling into a sinful smile. "Well now. That sounds like a dinner I won't want to forget", he murmured, hand ghosting over the small of Hanakael's back. He walked away slowly and sat down at the counter, crossing his legs as he waited for dinner.

Dean ignored Castiel's faint protest - he knew what he liked by now -, and he would have kept gently teasing him until they'd end making love on the couch (as they did sometimes) if only he hadn't heard that fastidiously well-known voice. He instantly sat up, paling, and panicking as he tried to see from where it was coming.

Hanakael smiled back and brought the appetizers to Crowley. He began chatting carelessly with him, until he pondered over a thought while sipping his own wine. "Mh, I've been thinking. I think I've finally found the answer to the question you asked me really early on into our relationship."

Castiel himself had straightened up, eyes wide with worry, turned to where Michael stood, which was a few steps behind the couch, near the entrance.
Michael's eye was twitching from what he was seeing, and his eyes darted to a red spot on Castiel's neck. "Get away from my brother, Winchester," he snarled as he moved forward, towards the both of them.

Crowley raised a brow, lifting his eyes from his own glass of wine to glance to his lover. "Bed or table?", he asked with a grin, trying to falsely guess. More like, he was trying to get Hanakael to stutter a bit~ He didn't know what he was talking about, yet.

Dean put his hands in front of himself, as if trying to get Michael to stop on his tracks. God damnit, with all the brothers Castiel had, it just had to be the very worst! "Listen, we can explain - just calm down", he said quickly, even sort of shielding his boyfriend with an arm.

Hanakael couldn't hold back a laugh at that suggestion, and shook his head. No, he would never get used to Crowley's bluntness, and yet he loved it. "No. About what I would be ready to sell my soul for," he told him, still smiling.

"I said GET. AWAY. FROM CAS." Michael grabbed Dean by the collar, ignoring Castiel's poor attempt at words. He was still sort of pinned down by Dean, he couldn't get up and try to stop his brother !

Crowley laughed, but his eyes seemed to twinkle with renewed interest. "Oh?", he answered, smiling back at Hanakael. "And what would that be, then? I hope you thought of something good, after making me wait so long~" He was impatient to know. After all, that could prove to him that this man he held so high on a pedestal was just a common, greedy, low human being!

Dean panicked when he got grabbed by the collar. He panicked so much, his brain went in automatic mode. Particularly, it hit fight-or-flight. More specifically, fight. He was actually so surprised when he felt his fist connected with Michael's nose that he let out a sound that sounded... almost like a yelp.

Hanakael laid his elbow on the counter, and laid his chin in his hand, while looking at Crowley with utter fondness. "Honestly? I'd sell my soul to the devil himself if it could allow me to stay by your side for at least 10 years. Be it as your lover or your assistant. Leaving you would wreck me." He was still smiling, though. After all, Crowley called him with so many pet names, and made him feel so loved... there was no way now he'd ever refuse his feelings, would he.

Michael was by far not the fighting type. Granted, he was tall, and he often relied on it to be enough to frighten off any opposant. But he certainly wasn't expecting Dean's blow, nor knowing even how to counter it. So when it landed on his nose with a slight crack, he yelped himself and jumped back, holding it with two hands.
Castiel had no idea what was happening. He just froze there, while his own brother cursed, blood pouring into his hands.

Crowley's smile stayed in place. For about ten seconds. It slowly faltered as his usual playfully devious expression turned first into a genuinely surprised one, then briefly morphed into pain - and finally in annoyance. He closed his eyes and groaned, painfully pinching his nose. "Why did you have to say that?", he said through his teeth. "You don't want that. You can't possibly want that." He mostly sounded confused, though.

Dean fell back, but he was careful enough not to drop on Castiel, instead raising quickly to his feet and assuming a defensive position. He still looked incredibly shocked by what he had just done - but he was ready to go on, if needed. "And I said, we can explain", he finally stated.

Hanakael blinked, honestly surprised his confession was received so... negatively, in fact. He wasn't smiling anymore. If anything, he realized he might have killed the mood. "I-" He sighed, and crossed his arms over the counter. "Look, it's not as if such thing existed, but I do think that meeting you, and getting to know you is the best thing that happened to me. In all of my life, I had never been happier than as your assistant, let alone lover. I- figured you might grow tired of me and move on at some point, but I-" He took a big, shaking breath. He was panicking. "I meant it," he ended up whispering. "I'm not asking you to reciprocate those feelings, I just wanted you to know."

Michael was still cursing, to the point Castiel finally jerked up and went to fetch tissues for his brother, who instantly brought one to his severed nose. Once he had calmed down, though, Michael glared at the both of them.
"I- I know you might have been mistaken, but Dean didn't mean me any harm," Castiel explained awkwardly. Yeah, no. He didn't dare to tell the truth to Michael yet.

Crowley shook his head, raising up from his stool. "You don't understand", he answered, sounding almost pained. And somewhat angry. "You can't possibly say - you'd sell your soul for me", he spat out. "I tried so desperately to convince myself you are just like any other human being - possibly greedy, tainted and imperfect. That I was placing you too high up. And yet you come, and say that-" He took a deep breath. "Maybe you would change your mind, if you knew. If you knew what I am."

"Yeah!" Dean echoed right away, sounding definitely worried. "I'd never do anything to harm Cas. I've never ever hurt him, hit him or anything like that - I wouldn't ever do that!" A part of him knew perfectly well that it wasn't the major issue. But, well. One can hope.

Hanakael frowned slightly, now... confused by Crowley's words. "What do you mean? What could possibly throw me off about you, that scares you so much?"

Michael took a deep breath, and looked to Castiel. "Did he touch you," he muttered, his voice cold.
"I-" Castiel couldn't possibly answer that question. "Michael, I love Dean more than anything-" He stopped his explanation as soon as he saw pure disgust form on Michael's face, in spite of the tissue he was still holding to his nose. Now that's what he feared. And he felt pained when his own older brother moved out of his reach.

Crowley stood in silence for an awfully long time, weirdly quiet. Then he finally turned again fully towards Hanakael, arms behind his back. "Remember that thing that you said doesn't exist, my darling?", he murmured, a smile stretching on his lips. He suddenly felt bigger, way more intimidating as his eyes flashed red. "I am the one you'd sell your soul to."

Dean frowned. Michael was behaving exactly like he feared - as the goddamn jerk he was. He stepped forward, his hand resting gently on Castiel's shoulder. "We love each other", he repeated, coldly. "Is that so disgusting to you?"

Hanakael almost jumped backwards, startled to see that sudden change in his lover. "Crowley?" he asked nonetheless, getting up from his chair to take a step back. What if this wasn't the man he loved? What had happened to him?

"What's disgusting is that not only did you steal my brother's private space, you also had to get into his bed," Michael snarled, taking the tissue off his face. "Castiel's not that kind of guy, you probably forced your way. I can still help you, Cassie," he pleaded while turning to his brother, who, frankly, had a hard time to compute Michael's horrible words.

Crowley blinked, red smoke seeping back into his vessel. He kept his confident pose, even if he was feeling all but confident right then. Seeing Hanakael take that step back made him feel rather... conflicted, surprisingly. It had to be what he wanted, to see the other man getting away in horror. On the other way... he felt his still, cold heart clench in pain. "I am Crowley", he said quietly. "I am a demon. I've always been. Since the first day you put a foot in my studio." It was clear as day he was just waiting for a panic fit at this point.

"Oh, don't you dare", Dean snarled, feeling himself almost nauseous with disgust in front of the... thing he was accused of. "I have never once- I would never abused Cas in any shape or form, and I would kill anyone who tried!" He brought Castiel back towards himself, instinctively.

"You mean... an actual demon. Like... harvesting human souls. Bible-like demon." Hanakael took a deep breath, and clenched his hands on his chair. Actually, he even went to sit down again, while running his hands through his hair. "Was everything about us just an act?" Yes, questions were rushing into his mind right now, and truth be told, he couldn't get his priorities straight at that point. Still, that was the answer he needed to know whether or not he should get out of that apartment right now.

Castiel instinctively wrapped his arms around Dean. In fact, he even tightened his fists in his shirt. He did not know where he found the courage to look at his older brother deep in the eye. "Mike, don't be mad. I'm... I'm into men, I'm into Dean. I- I've always been."
But that did not seem to reassure Michael, oh no. In fact, he straightened up. "I'm leaving" was the only thing he said before he went for the door.

Crowley gave him a brief smile. "I am a tad bit cooler than a common, black-eyed, Bible-like demon, darling. I am a big shot, down there." His smile faltered again in front of that question. He hesitated, a lie ready on the tip of his tongue. "No", he blurted out in the end. "No. It wasn't an act."

"Well, good riddance", Dean snarled at him. "You fucking hypocrite. You don't give a single shit whether or not your brother was hurt - you just wish he wasn't a faggot", he added, holding Castiel tight to him.

Hanakael took a deep breath. It- reassured him, in a way. There was still a lot left unanswered, though. He would have been doubting Crowley if he hadn't witnessed his true self with his own eyes. "What do you mean by 'big shot'?"

"Shut your filthy mouth, Winchester," Michael yelled back at Dean before slamming the door behind him.
Castiel bit on his lower lip, hard. He was slowly starting to panic. He had only told Chuck, Gabe and Balt about it so far, but- if Michael knew, his own mother would know soon. She'd call. Drown him under text messages if he didn't answer. And then she would talk to him as if he had a disease that needed to be treated.

Crowley studied his nails. Feigning extreme disinterest in the situation actually helped him to calm down a bit. "I am not just any spunk that infests a body or plays buy and selling in the minor league, you see", he explained calmly, raising his eyes to meet Hanakael's again, smirking. "My own experience and power is superior. It made me King of the Crossroads." He puffed out his chest, seemingly very prideful about that title. "That's what I mean as 'big shot', love."

Dean cursed after the door was slammed closed, loudly, as if Michael could still hear him somehow. Then he felt Castiel almost tremble at his side, and hisvattentiin quickly reverted to him. He grabbed him by the shoulders, gently but firmly. "Cas - hey, look at me. Look", he tried to get his attention, his expression terribly concerned. And guilty. "Are you ok?"

Hanakael was still conflicted, but- Crowley had assured him that what had happened between them wasn't just an act. He called him 'love' again. He wasn't telling that to scare hip off, now, was he?
Hana remained lost in his thoughts for a few more seconds, until a soft, nervous chuckle escaped him. He shook his head at the apparently absurd thought he had.

"No," Castiel replied instinctively, before he tried to walk back to the couch with Dean, and hid his face into his hands. "I- I wished to tell everyone at some point about us, but this is certainly the worst way it might happen."

Crowley sighed. "I know what you're thinking now. Why am I telling you all of this?" He seemed to hesitate before he decided to go on. "I don't understand why I care this much about you. It puzzles me, and worries me too. I... thought that maybe, by showing you what I am, you would flee. Save yourself, or whatever." He didn't seem happy at that thought, not at all. He raised a brow when Hanakael let out that nervous chuckle. "Want to share your fun with the class?", he asked curtly.

Dean let Castiel sit down on the couch, and sat at his side. He tried to gently pull his boyfriend into his arms, to hold him and comfort him. "Cas", he started, his brows furrowed. "I understand what you are saying, but... However we had told your oldest brother, or your mother, their reaction would have been the same. Whatever happens now, we can count on some people to help. And you can count on me."

"I'm sorry, I just-" Hanakael ran a hand on his face, and looked at Crowley with a small smile. "I just got hit by the fact that my father was probably right: I might just go to hell because of who I sleep with." He was clearly trying to repress another nervous laugh. That absurd reasoning was actually helping him to cope with this overwhelming reality a bit.

"... yes. I'm sorry, Dean, it's just-" Castiel took a deep breath, and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, snuggling close. "I knew he wouldn't react well. But this is worse than anything I could have imagined." Well, granted, he had thought a bit selfishly that Balthazar's coming out, and his own lack of subtlety regarding his own preferences might have helped.