Angel Noir: [2] Alcohol Vs. Water
Master List || Chapter One
Dean pulled himself out from underneath the car he was working on, tossing the wrench in his hand to the top of tool box, and wiping his hands on him jumper. He glanced over at his desk, the clock mocking him and he winced slightly. He was late…
Quickly, Dean cleaned up the rest of his tools and locked up the shop, stopping before Baby’s trunk to slip out of his coveralls and slide into his leather jacket. He wondered how many beers in Sammy would be…
After last friday night, Sam had woken up with the worst hangover he’d had since they were teenagers. Dean had spent most of his Saturday off holding back his brother’s hair and cleaning the couch and the carpet from where Sam had missed the trash bucket. Then, of course, after Dean snapped at him for puking all over the place, Sam had withdrawn and fallen apart, talking about how no one wanted him and he would just sleep out of the car until he could find his own place.
Once Dean had calmed him down enough, and Sam had made an additional run to the toilet, they’d managed to get a few things straight. The first, and probably the most important, was that there would be no more missing of the trash can if Sam was going to spill the contents of his stomach in the living room. Sam had seemingly been determined to stay away from alcohol anyways, not needing the headache and hangover on top of his broken heart, but this morning Sam had taken the day off from work to collect his things from Jessica’s apartment…
The Pit. was the text message Dean got at lunch and Sam had ignored all three of his phone calls afterwards. Dean only hoped Sam hadn't been drowning his sorrows since noontime. Although... It probably wouldn’t be that hard to convince Sammy to sleep in the bathtub…
Dean hesitated when he shut the trunk, knowing that if Sam was shit faced again he wasn't going to want to drag all six plus feet of his brother back down to the shop. But the sun was still warm and parking would still be a bitch at 7 pm. He patted Baby's side and pocketed the keys. Sam would've driven anyways.
As he approached the street the bar was on, he remembered the Angel Noir's sign last week and wondered if it would have something new today. It was probably a fluke... Some smart ass employee thought he was being funny, and now it would have the most obnoxious drink menu known to man.
'Alcohol will not solve your problems. But neither will water.'
"Amen to that," Dean snorted as he read the sign, shaking his head. This one, however, he would not be sharing with Sam. He threw a glance over at the bar front, shaking his head before he started back down the sidewalk. No matter how funny their sign was… they still had flowers on their bar tables.
As Dean pulled open the heavy wooden door to The Devil’s Pit, he walked straight into Benny’s chest.
“Benny! Hey,” Dean cleared his throat, giving the other man a smile. “How you doing?”
“Hey Brother!” Benny clapped him on his shoulder, letting his hand rest, heavy and warm on Dean’s arm. “I’ve been good, real good. You?”
Dean smiled leaning against his touch and nodded his head. Their relationship had been short, only two dates before they decided they were much better as friends. Really good friends. “Busy, with the shop an’ all. But good. Are you… leaving?”
Benny squeezed his arm and shook his head. “Dean… I think you’re gonna have your hands full tonight. Sam ain’t looking so hot. But maybe... later this week?”
“Yeah, course. I’ll call you,” Dean cleared his throat and pushed past Benny, their chest brushing as Benny held the door for him but didn’t step out of his path. It was easy to push back the shiver the contact gave him when he saw Sammy, one arm curled underneath his head, laying half on top of the bar. Crowley was standing before him, shaking his head slowly.
“Ahh, thank Lucifer. Moose may be big, but he sure as hell can’t hold his damn liquor…” Crowley stared down at Sam, shaking his head before collecting three empty bottles and leaving Dean standing over his brother.
“Hey!” Sam called out, pushing himself up into a sitting position and swaying on the chair.
“I wasn’t done with that one!”
“Looks like you started without me, Sammy.” Dean slid into the seat next to him, leaning forward to catch his brother’s attention.
“Dean! You’re here!” Sam slurred, a smile breaking out across his lips. “I ordered you a drink!” He looked down at the empty bar top before him and frowned, running a hand back through his hair. “Um, well, I did… but… I think I drank it…”
“That’s okay, Sam. I think you’ve had enough for both of us. I’ll stick with water,” he called the last part out a bit louder, nodding his head at Crowley when he captured the older bar owner’s gaze. When he turned back around, Sam’s eyes were blown wide, staring at Dean in shock.
“Dean… do you even know how to drink water?”
“Shut up, bitch,” Dean mumbled, accepting the glass with a grimace. He lifted it to his lips, wrinkling his nose as he took a sip. “See? I drank it. Now you finish it.” He slid the glass over to Sam who took it with a snort.
“Surprised you didn’t burst into flames…”
“Shut up and drink the water, Sam.” Dean rolled his eyes, leaning against the back of the bar stool, and watching as Sam drained the glass, sucking one of the ice cubes into his mouth and crunching on is happily.
“Glad you came, Dean,” he said with a smile, fishing out another ice chip.
“Yeah, next week you’re gonna meet me at the shop first, got it?” Sam shrugged but for now, that was all Dean needed. Once Sam sobered up, they would talk about it again. Crowley slid back over to their end of the bar, slipping a glass in front of Dean and dropping a straw into it. Dean nodded his thanks and nursed the coke and watched as Sam managed to crunch his way through the rest of the ice in his glass.
Castiel sighed. He was sitting in his office, finishing up payroll and taking care of the books, and trying as hard as he could not to think about how he would be tending bar again tonight, though he was sure he was much more prepared than last week. He had borrowed the bartending book from Gabe and studied it, almost meticulously. He also took a hour here and there during the times when he wasn't busy with paperwork to get some hands on experience with Ruby and Gabe. He was more confident on making mixed drinks, but still nervous.
The weekdays were not as busy as a Friday night and he could take his time, recalling the ingredients and making sure he had the right amounts of the right liquor, and Gabe and Ruby both were easily available if he got stuck. But on a Friday, he needed to be able to make those drinks without even thinking, Ruby and Gabe would be just as swamped, and he wasn't that confident... yet.
Ruby was supposed to be off tonight but she insisted on coming in and giving them a hand. He tried to talk her out of it, but was secretly glad when she refused and said she ‘couldn't think of a better way to spend a Friday night than tending bar and cutting up with her brothers’.
He was so lucky to have Ruby and Gabe.
Without fail, they have always been there for him and supported him in every choice in his life. He had known Gabe since Elementary school and in High School, when he had figured out he was gay, he was so nervous to tell Gabe, afraid he was going to lose his best friend. Looking back now, that had been completely stupid. When he did tell him, Gabe’s response was, ‘Well duh, Cassie! I have known that since middle school. Are you really just now figuring that out? Maybe I should have told you back then...’ complete with an eye roll and a hug. They shared a laugh and nothing changed between them, except for Gabe pointing out every hot guy he saw to Cas. He had even took him to a strip club on his 18th birthday and bought him a lap dance from Tarzan, which lead to Castiel swinging off his vine later that night.
Ruby had been the second person he told he was gay, sneaking over to her small studio apartment behind the high school, and she-- much like Gabe-- already knew. Castiel remembered thinking, ‘damnit was I the last to know?’ Then they spent the rest of the night, curled up on her twin sized bed, talking about all of the boys she knew in her class that would be just cute enough for her brother to date.
Then, they had both been there for him when he had finally came out to his parents, right after he had finished college. Though it shouldn’t have been surprising, it still hurt when they disowned him. Coming from a very religious family, he knew that was a possibility, but he hoped they would have looked past that and seen he was still their son no matter what his sexual preference was. Instead, they called him an abomination and said he was no longer their son. He hasn't spoke to either of them since.
It had been Gabe and Ruby that had been there to pick up the pieces, and he found himself even closer to the sister who’d already been disowned by their parents when she was seventeen and Castiel was sixteen, after she’d gotten addicted to heroin. Instead of getting her help, they’d handed her a duffel bag and given her thirty minutes to pack what she could carry and get out. Gabe and Castiel had been the ones to help her get clean, Gabe got his older brother Lucas to rent one of his apartments to Ruby, despite her being under eighteen. Their family had been content to leave her on the streets, content to ignore the fact Castiel had gotten a business degree for the simple fact of working for the family company, and looking back, Castiel believed it should’ve been himself and Ruby that had disowned them.
As Ruby tucked Castiel into her own bed that first night, he’d fallen apart in his sister’s arms, apologizing for not leaving their family when they’d kicked Ruby out, six years earlier. Ruby had shushed him, stroking his hair, and to this day she swore she never had any anger or resentment towards him at all, but it never stopped Castiel from being mad at himself. Now, they were the black sheeps of the family, his parents left with the two perfect older siblings, Michael and Anna. Although there were times when Castiel and Ruby missed the other two -- their relationships were all strained at best-- Ruby and Gabe were all he really needed. They’d moved around for a few years, but it was when they finally decided to pack up and move as far away from their childhood home as they could, that Gabe’s words spoken in the car became the motto they all three lived by: “We have each other, and that’s all the family we need.”
After six months living on the East Coast, Gabe and Ruby had been the first people he had told about his plans to open a bar. He might as well use his business degree, and of course they were nothing but supportive. Gabe even hooked him up with a contact of his older brother’s and it had gotten him the bar and at a damn good deal, too. Ruby had come up with the name ‘Angel Noir’, and it was perfect. Their family had bestowed more religion on Ruby and Castiel then either one of them would ever use and their mother had taken to calling each of them ‘angels’ when she kissed them goodnight. Ruby had snorted, telling Castiel that now they were fallen angels, wings blackened and immoral according to their parents. “But it doesn’t make us any less beautiful, Castiel. Don’t you ever forget that.”
As the plans started to come together, he had been thrilled; not only did they support him, but they both wanted to work with him. They both wanted to tend bar. They told him someone needed to keep an eye on him, might as well be them. It didn’t matter to Castiel what their excuse was for staying by his side, he was grateful.
A knock on the door shook Castiel from his thoughts and he looked up to see the smiling face of his sister, unable to help but return the warm smile. “Hey boss-man,” she smirked, leaning against the door frame. “Get your ass out here and show me and Gabe what you’ve learned this week! And, we will be grading you!” She laughed, spinning on her heels and walking out of the office. Castiel saved the payroll document on his laptop before shutting it down and exiting his office.
The place was already packed and it was only 8 pm. He watched Ruby and Gabe behind the bar for a few minutes; both of them were in their element. They made drinks and moved gracefully around one another, Gabe even adding a flair or two by flipping the bottles and glasses as he made the drinks. With a dramatic sigh, Castiel made his way around the back of the bar and joined them. Ruby grinned at him and Gabe walked by him, smacking his ass as he said, “Show us what you have learned Cassie. Make these drinks your bitch.” Castiel rolled his eyes and he could hear Ruby cackling at the other end of the bar.
So far tonight Castiel had made a Sex On The Beach, Between The Sheets, The Climax Cocktail, The Red-Headed Slut, and a Angel’s Tit. He laughed at the last one, Really?! How could people order these drinks with a straight face? Anytime Gabe or Ruby saw him struggling, they would come over and help, not even giving him a chance to have to ask. The fact that they’d been together for so long was also how they always seemed to sense when he was getting overwhelmed and needed their help or a break. They would take over mixing his drink and steer him into the direction of someone with an easier order. Each time this happened, it only reminded him further what great family he had.
Castiel had never realized how stressful tending bar could be, and he had a whole new level of respect for Gabe and Ruby and for the bartender’s he’d been frustrated with and probably rude to while he’d been in college. None of them ever lost their cool, always stayed composed. That was something Castiel needed to work on... At the end of the night, after the last of their patrons left, Gabe locked the door and Ruby and him burst out laughing at Castiel's appearance. His hair was standing everywhere, yet again, and he had various liquors and mixes spilled all over his shirt.
“I think you got more on you than in the glasses,” Gabe teased, sliding onto the stool next to Castiel. Ruby hoped over the bar and grabbed a bottle of Vodka, crossing her legs from her perch on the bar top, then reached for three shot glasses. Gabe and Castiel grumbled at her choice.
“Oh shut it! I knowyou boys love your Jack, but the lady wants Vodka!” Ruby grinned as she filled up two shot glasses and placed them in front of Castiel and Gabe.
Gabe smirked, picking up the glass and lifting it in a mock toast. “Where is this so called lady you speak of?’ Ruby reached over and smacked him in the back of the head.
“I’m the lady you fuckin’ jackass!” Ruby defended herself, pouring herself a shot.
Gabe snorted, “Cassie is more of a lady than you.” Castiel looked at him incredulously, causing Ruby and Gabe to double over in laughter.
Ruby grinned, toasting Gabe back as she said, “Good point!” and the two clinked their shot glasses together before tossing back their shots.
“Fuck you both,” Castiel grumbled before he slammed his shot back, refilling their glasses again.
“You did great tonight, Cassie,” Gabe said as he slung his arm around him, kissing him on the cheek.
“We will have you tending bar like a fuckin’ pro in no time!” Ruby added, slinging her arm around him as well and kissed his other cheek.
“Ugh gross guys!!” Castiel complained but the huge smile on his face gave his true feelings away. He had no doubt he would be tending bar like a pro with the help of Ruby and Gabe. He slid an arm around each of their waists, pulling them closer, all three of them giggling like they were teenagers back in high school.
Yeah, there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do with these two at his side.
“Dean?”
Dean opened his eyes, turning his head to the side to look at Sam who was already staring him with wide, hazel eyes. They were laying on the living room floor, Sam having stumbled the moment they walked into Dean’s apartment and Dean too lazy to try and drag him to his feet. The space between the couch and the chair wasn’t much, and they ended up shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip. He would have to make fun of Sam later for clinging to Dean’s arm the second he tried to get up off of the floor.
“Yeah, Sammy?” He gave his brother a small smile, watching the different thoughts danced across Sam’s face, the alcohol clouding his mind, as he tried to focus on the point of gaining Dean’s attention.
“Do… do you think I’m going to end up alone forever?” he said finally, biting on his lower lip, eyes tearing up. He blinked a few times, tearing his eyes away from his older brother to look up at the ceiling. “I mean… do you think, since I screwed things up with Jess… that I’ll end up like Dad?”
“God, Sammy, don’t think like that,” Dean replied, pushing up on his elbow and turning on his side so he could look down at Sam. “What the hell would make you think that?”
Sam shrugged, releasing his lip, a bright red mark on his pale skin. “Do you ever wish you had someone?”
“Well, isn’t that a topic change,” Dean snorted, rolling his eyes. “Sam, you’re drunk. I don’t think now is the time to talk about relationships.”
“I just want to know, Dean. Do you think Dad fucked us up? Do you think we’re never going to have successful relationships?”
“No, Sam… I don’t think that,” Dean whispered, waiting for Sam to meet his eyes before giving him a sad smile. “Jess’ loss, Sammy. I told you that. And one day, she’s going to regret not trying harder the year you guys moved here, she’s going to regret it when Doctor Douchebag ends up treating her badly, and she’s going to wish she never let go of you.”
“I thought you didn’t like ‘chick flick moments’...” Sam mumbled, cheeks flushing a bright red.
“Yeah, well…” Dean flopped back, settling back on the ground, folding his arms behind his head. “Shut up, bitch.”
He didn’t need to turn his head to see Sam smiling, but he looked when his brother shifted, pulling himself up with the help of the couch and coffee table until he was in a standing position. Dean was about to ask when he saw Sam pitch forward, grabbing the blanket on the back of the couch and then falling back onto the ground, hard on his ass.
Sam threw the blanket over them both, barely covering their thighs and stomachs, and Dean had to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Sam slurred, shifting on the floor to get more comfortable.
“I don’t know, I’m almost thirty and having a fucking sleep over in the living room with my twenty-four year old brother?” Dean replied, laughing once again. Beside him, Sam was quiet, then he too was laughing.
“We should’ve thought ahead and built a fort.”
“Jesus, Sammy. A fort?”
“Yeah! Do you remember when Dad left us in that motel for the weekend… When he got that trucker job up in New Hampshire and was gonna be gone the whole weekend and we turned the entire room into a fort? I think we used every damn blanket in that place… You even went to ask the housekeeper for more sheets so we could build a tower…”
Dean snorted at that, turning once again to look at Sammy. “How the fuck do you even remember that? You were what… Five? Six?”
“I was eight, actually! Then you had me take it all down when you went out for burgers and found Rhonda. You made me hide in the bathroom to have your first kiss.” Sam paused at that, then rolled over and slammed his fist into Dean’s arm. “You’re still a fucking jerk for that, by the way.”
“Ow!” Dean grabbed his arm, kicking Sam’s leg in retaliation. “You got me back when you told Dad I locked you in the bathroom all weekend. Man, I thought I’d never be able to sit after he beat my ass for that one.”
“Yeah…” Sam looked guilty, giving Dean a sheepish smile. “I probably should’ve told him I was exaggerating… just a little bit…”
“Yeah, well,” Dean sighed, nudging Sam’s shoulder and waited for them both to settle down again. “You always had my back after that.”
“Always will,” Sam whispered back. Silence fell over them again, the only sound was Sam once again adjusting the blanket over them, and then the soft snore as he fell asleep.
“And I’ve got your back, Sammy. Bitch.” Dean smiled, sitting up so he could reach the lamp and flicking it off. He laid back down, feeling the rise and chest of his brother breathing beside him and knowing he couldn’t feel more at peace.
Chapter Three
Dean pulled himself out from underneath the car he was working on, tossing the wrench in his hand to the top of tool box, and wiping his hands on him jumper. He glanced over at his desk, the clock mocking him and he winced slightly. He was late…
Quickly, Dean cleaned up the rest of his tools and locked up the shop, stopping before Baby’s trunk to slip out of his coveralls and slide into his leather jacket. He wondered how many beers in Sammy would be…
After last friday night, Sam had woken up with the worst hangover he’d had since they were teenagers. Dean had spent most of his Saturday off holding back his brother’s hair and cleaning the couch and the carpet from where Sam had missed the trash bucket. Then, of course, after Dean snapped at him for puking all over the place, Sam had withdrawn and fallen apart, talking about how no one wanted him and he would just sleep out of the car until he could find his own place.
Once Dean had calmed him down enough, and Sam had made an additional run to the toilet, they’d managed to get a few things straight. The first, and probably the most important, was that there would be no more missing of the trash can if Sam was going to spill the contents of his stomach in the living room. Sam had seemingly been determined to stay away from alcohol anyways, not needing the headache and hangover on top of his broken heart, but this morning Sam had taken the day off from work to collect his things from Jessica’s apartment…
The Pit. was the text message Dean got at lunch and Sam had ignored all three of his phone calls afterwards. Dean only hoped Sam hadn't been drowning his sorrows since noontime. Although... It probably wouldn’t be that hard to convince Sammy to sleep in the bathtub…
Dean hesitated when he shut the trunk, knowing that if Sam was shit faced again he wasn't going to want to drag all six plus feet of his brother back down to the shop. But the sun was still warm and parking would still be a bitch at 7 pm. He patted Baby's side and pocketed the keys. Sam would've driven anyways.
As he approached the street the bar was on, he remembered the Angel Noir's sign last week and wondered if it would have something new today. It was probably a fluke... Some smart ass employee thought he was being funny, and now it would have the most obnoxious drink menu known to man.
'Alcohol will not solve your problems. But neither will water.'
"Amen to that," Dean snorted as he read the sign, shaking his head. This one, however, he would not be sharing with Sam. He threw a glance over at the bar front, shaking his head before he started back down the sidewalk. No matter how funny their sign was… they still had flowers on their bar tables.
As Dean pulled open the heavy wooden door to The Devil’s Pit, he walked straight into Benny’s chest.
“Benny! Hey,” Dean cleared his throat, giving the other man a smile. “How you doing?”
“Hey Brother!” Benny clapped him on his shoulder, letting his hand rest, heavy and warm on Dean’s arm. “I’ve been good, real good. You?”
Dean smiled leaning against his touch and nodded his head. Their relationship had been short, only two dates before they decided they were much better as friends. Really good friends. “Busy, with the shop an’ all. But good. Are you… leaving?”
Benny squeezed his arm and shook his head. “Dean… I think you’re gonna have your hands full tonight. Sam ain’t looking so hot. But maybe... later this week?”
“Yeah, course. I’ll call you,” Dean cleared his throat and pushed past Benny, their chest brushing as Benny held the door for him but didn’t step out of his path. It was easy to push back the shiver the contact gave him when he saw Sammy, one arm curled underneath his head, laying half on top of the bar. Crowley was standing before him, shaking his head slowly.
“Ahh, thank Lucifer. Moose may be big, but he sure as hell can’t hold his damn liquor…” Crowley stared down at Sam, shaking his head before collecting three empty bottles and leaving Dean standing over his brother.
“Hey!” Sam called out, pushing himself up into a sitting position and swaying on the chair.
“I wasn’t done with that one!”
“Looks like you started without me, Sammy.” Dean slid into the seat next to him, leaning forward to catch his brother’s attention.
“Dean! You’re here!” Sam slurred, a smile breaking out across his lips. “I ordered you a drink!” He looked down at the empty bar top before him and frowned, running a hand back through his hair. “Um, well, I did… but… I think I drank it…”
“That’s okay, Sam. I think you’ve had enough for both of us. I’ll stick with water,” he called the last part out a bit louder, nodding his head at Crowley when he captured the older bar owner’s gaze. When he turned back around, Sam’s eyes were blown wide, staring at Dean in shock.
“Dean… do you even know how to drink water?”
“Shut up, bitch,” Dean mumbled, accepting the glass with a grimace. He lifted it to his lips, wrinkling his nose as he took a sip. “See? I drank it. Now you finish it.” He slid the glass over to Sam who took it with a snort.
“Surprised you didn’t burst into flames…”
“Shut up and drink the water, Sam.” Dean rolled his eyes, leaning against the back of the bar stool, and watching as Sam drained the glass, sucking one of the ice cubes into his mouth and crunching on is happily.
“Glad you came, Dean,” he said with a smile, fishing out another ice chip.
“Yeah, next week you’re gonna meet me at the shop first, got it?” Sam shrugged but for now, that was all Dean needed. Once Sam sobered up, they would talk about it again. Crowley slid back over to their end of the bar, slipping a glass in front of Dean and dropping a straw into it. Dean nodded his thanks and nursed the coke and watched as Sam managed to crunch his way through the rest of the ice in his glass.
Castiel sighed. He was sitting in his office, finishing up payroll and taking care of the books, and trying as hard as he could not to think about how he would be tending bar again tonight, though he was sure he was much more prepared than last week. He had borrowed the bartending book from Gabe and studied it, almost meticulously. He also took a hour here and there during the times when he wasn't busy with paperwork to get some hands on experience with Ruby and Gabe. He was more confident on making mixed drinks, but still nervous.
The weekdays were not as busy as a Friday night and he could take his time, recalling the ingredients and making sure he had the right amounts of the right liquor, and Gabe and Ruby both were easily available if he got stuck. But on a Friday, he needed to be able to make those drinks without even thinking, Ruby and Gabe would be just as swamped, and he wasn't that confident... yet.
Ruby was supposed to be off tonight but she insisted on coming in and giving them a hand. He tried to talk her out of it, but was secretly glad when she refused and said she ‘couldn't think of a better way to spend a Friday night than tending bar and cutting up with her brothers’.
He was so lucky to have Ruby and Gabe.
Without fail, they have always been there for him and supported him in every choice in his life. He had known Gabe since Elementary school and in High School, when he had figured out he was gay, he was so nervous to tell Gabe, afraid he was going to lose his best friend. Looking back now, that had been completely stupid. When he did tell him, Gabe’s response was, ‘Well duh, Cassie! I have known that since middle school. Are you really just now figuring that out? Maybe I should have told you back then...’ complete with an eye roll and a hug. They shared a laugh and nothing changed between them, except for Gabe pointing out every hot guy he saw to Cas. He had even took him to a strip club on his 18th birthday and bought him a lap dance from Tarzan, which lead to Castiel swinging off his vine later that night.
Ruby had been the second person he told he was gay, sneaking over to her small studio apartment behind the high school, and she-- much like Gabe-- already knew. Castiel remembered thinking, ‘damnit was I the last to know?’ Then they spent the rest of the night, curled up on her twin sized bed, talking about all of the boys she knew in her class that would be just cute enough for her brother to date.
Then, they had both been there for him when he had finally came out to his parents, right after he had finished college. Though it shouldn’t have been surprising, it still hurt when they disowned him. Coming from a very religious family, he knew that was a possibility, but he hoped they would have looked past that and seen he was still their son no matter what his sexual preference was. Instead, they called him an abomination and said he was no longer their son. He hasn't spoke to either of them since.
It had been Gabe and Ruby that had been there to pick up the pieces, and he found himself even closer to the sister who’d already been disowned by their parents when she was seventeen and Castiel was sixteen, after she’d gotten addicted to heroin. Instead of getting her help, they’d handed her a duffel bag and given her thirty minutes to pack what she could carry and get out. Gabe and Castiel had been the ones to help her get clean, Gabe got his older brother Lucas to rent one of his apartments to Ruby, despite her being under eighteen. Their family had been content to leave her on the streets, content to ignore the fact Castiel had gotten a business degree for the simple fact of working for the family company, and looking back, Castiel believed it should’ve been himself and Ruby that had disowned them.
As Ruby tucked Castiel into her own bed that first night, he’d fallen apart in his sister’s arms, apologizing for not leaving their family when they’d kicked Ruby out, six years earlier. Ruby had shushed him, stroking his hair, and to this day she swore she never had any anger or resentment towards him at all, but it never stopped Castiel from being mad at himself. Now, they were the black sheeps of the family, his parents left with the two perfect older siblings, Michael and Anna. Although there were times when Castiel and Ruby missed the other two -- their relationships were all strained at best-- Ruby and Gabe were all he really needed. They’d moved around for a few years, but it was when they finally decided to pack up and move as far away from their childhood home as they could, that Gabe’s words spoken in the car became the motto they all three lived by: “We have each other, and that’s all the family we need.”
After six months living on the East Coast, Gabe and Ruby had been the first people he had told about his plans to open a bar. He might as well use his business degree, and of course they were nothing but supportive. Gabe even hooked him up with a contact of his older brother’s and it had gotten him the bar and at a damn good deal, too. Ruby had come up with the name ‘Angel Noir’, and it was perfect. Their family had bestowed more religion on Ruby and Castiel then either one of them would ever use and their mother had taken to calling each of them ‘angels’ when she kissed them goodnight. Ruby had snorted, telling Castiel that now they were fallen angels, wings blackened and immoral according to their parents. “But it doesn’t make us any less beautiful, Castiel. Don’t you ever forget that.”
As the plans started to come together, he had been thrilled; not only did they support him, but they both wanted to work with him. They both wanted to tend bar. They told him someone needed to keep an eye on him, might as well be them. It didn’t matter to Castiel what their excuse was for staying by his side, he was grateful.
A knock on the door shook Castiel from his thoughts and he looked up to see the smiling face of his sister, unable to help but return the warm smile. “Hey boss-man,” she smirked, leaning against the door frame. “Get your ass out here and show me and Gabe what you’ve learned this week! And, we will be grading you!” She laughed, spinning on her heels and walking out of the office. Castiel saved the payroll document on his laptop before shutting it down and exiting his office.
The place was already packed and it was only 8 pm. He watched Ruby and Gabe behind the bar for a few minutes; both of them were in their element. They made drinks and moved gracefully around one another, Gabe even adding a flair or two by flipping the bottles and glasses as he made the drinks. With a dramatic sigh, Castiel made his way around the back of the bar and joined them. Ruby grinned at him and Gabe walked by him, smacking his ass as he said, “Show us what you have learned Cassie. Make these drinks your bitch.” Castiel rolled his eyes and he could hear Ruby cackling at the other end of the bar.
So far tonight Castiel had made a Sex On The Beach, Between The Sheets, The Climax Cocktail, The Red-Headed Slut, and a Angel’s Tit. He laughed at the last one, Really?! How could people order these drinks with a straight face? Anytime Gabe or Ruby saw him struggling, they would come over and help, not even giving him a chance to have to ask. The fact that they’d been together for so long was also how they always seemed to sense when he was getting overwhelmed and needed their help or a break. They would take over mixing his drink and steer him into the direction of someone with an easier order. Each time this happened, it only reminded him further what great family he had.
Castiel had never realized how stressful tending bar could be, and he had a whole new level of respect for Gabe and Ruby and for the bartender’s he’d been frustrated with and probably rude to while he’d been in college. None of them ever lost their cool, always stayed composed. That was something Castiel needed to work on... At the end of the night, after the last of their patrons left, Gabe locked the door and Ruby and him burst out laughing at Castiel's appearance. His hair was standing everywhere, yet again, and he had various liquors and mixes spilled all over his shirt.
“I think you got more on you than in the glasses,” Gabe teased, sliding onto the stool next to Castiel. Ruby hoped over the bar and grabbed a bottle of Vodka, crossing her legs from her perch on the bar top, then reached for three shot glasses. Gabe and Castiel grumbled at her choice.
“Oh shut it! I knowyou boys love your Jack, but the lady wants Vodka!” Ruby grinned as she filled up two shot glasses and placed them in front of Castiel and Gabe.
Gabe smirked, picking up the glass and lifting it in a mock toast. “Where is this so called lady you speak of?’ Ruby reached over and smacked him in the back of the head.
“I’m the lady you fuckin’ jackass!” Ruby defended herself, pouring herself a shot.
Gabe snorted, “Cassie is more of a lady than you.” Castiel looked at him incredulously, causing Ruby and Gabe to double over in laughter.
Ruby grinned, toasting Gabe back as she said, “Good point!” and the two clinked their shot glasses together before tossing back their shots.
“Fuck you both,” Castiel grumbled before he slammed his shot back, refilling their glasses again.
“You did great tonight, Cassie,” Gabe said as he slung his arm around him, kissing him on the cheek.
“We will have you tending bar like a fuckin’ pro in no time!” Ruby added, slinging her arm around him as well and kissed his other cheek.
“Ugh gross guys!!” Castiel complained but the huge smile on his face gave his true feelings away. He had no doubt he would be tending bar like a pro with the help of Ruby and Gabe. He slid an arm around each of their waists, pulling them closer, all three of them giggling like they were teenagers back in high school.
Yeah, there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do with these two at his side.
“Dean?”
Dean opened his eyes, turning his head to the side to look at Sam who was already staring him with wide, hazel eyes. They were laying on the living room floor, Sam having stumbled the moment they walked into Dean’s apartment and Dean too lazy to try and drag him to his feet. The space between the couch and the chair wasn’t much, and they ended up shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip. He would have to make fun of Sam later for clinging to Dean’s arm the second he tried to get up off of the floor.
“Yeah, Sammy?” He gave his brother a small smile, watching the different thoughts danced across Sam’s face, the alcohol clouding his mind, as he tried to focus on the point of gaining Dean’s attention.
“Do… do you think I’m going to end up alone forever?” he said finally, biting on his lower lip, eyes tearing up. He blinked a few times, tearing his eyes away from his older brother to look up at the ceiling. “I mean… do you think, since I screwed things up with Jess… that I’ll end up like Dad?”
“God, Sammy, don’t think like that,” Dean replied, pushing up on his elbow and turning on his side so he could look down at Sam. “What the hell would make you think that?”
Sam shrugged, releasing his lip, a bright red mark on his pale skin. “Do you ever wish you had someone?”
“Well, isn’t that a topic change,” Dean snorted, rolling his eyes. “Sam, you’re drunk. I don’t think now is the time to talk about relationships.”
“I just want to know, Dean. Do you think Dad fucked us up? Do you think we’re never going to have successful relationships?”
“No, Sam… I don’t think that,” Dean whispered, waiting for Sam to meet his eyes before giving him a sad smile. “Jess’ loss, Sammy. I told you that. And one day, she’s going to regret not trying harder the year you guys moved here, she’s going to regret it when Doctor Douchebag ends up treating her badly, and she’s going to wish she never let go of you.”
“I thought you didn’t like ‘chick flick moments’...” Sam mumbled, cheeks flushing a bright red.
“Yeah, well…” Dean flopped back, settling back on the ground, folding his arms behind his head. “Shut up, bitch.”
He didn’t need to turn his head to see Sam smiling, but he looked when his brother shifted, pulling himself up with the help of the couch and coffee table until he was in a standing position. Dean was about to ask when he saw Sam pitch forward, grabbing the blanket on the back of the couch and then falling back onto the ground, hard on his ass.
Sam threw the blanket over them both, barely covering their thighs and stomachs, and Dean had to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Sam slurred, shifting on the floor to get more comfortable.
“I don’t know, I’m almost thirty and having a fucking sleep over in the living room with my twenty-four year old brother?” Dean replied, laughing once again. Beside him, Sam was quiet, then he too was laughing.
“We should’ve thought ahead and built a fort.”
“Jesus, Sammy. A fort?”
“Yeah! Do you remember when Dad left us in that motel for the weekend… When he got that trucker job up in New Hampshire and was gonna be gone the whole weekend and we turned the entire room into a fort? I think we used every damn blanket in that place… You even went to ask the housekeeper for more sheets so we could build a tower…”
Dean snorted at that, turning once again to look at Sammy. “How the fuck do you even remember that? You were what… Five? Six?”
“I was eight, actually! Then you had me take it all down when you went out for burgers and found Rhonda. You made me hide in the bathroom to have your first kiss.” Sam paused at that, then rolled over and slammed his fist into Dean’s arm. “You’re still a fucking jerk for that, by the way.”
“Ow!” Dean grabbed his arm, kicking Sam’s leg in retaliation. “You got me back when you told Dad I locked you in the bathroom all weekend. Man, I thought I’d never be able to sit after he beat my ass for that one.”
“Yeah…” Sam looked guilty, giving Dean a sheepish smile. “I probably should’ve told him I was exaggerating… just a little bit…”
“Yeah, well,” Dean sighed, nudging Sam’s shoulder and waited for them both to settle down again. “You always had my back after that.”
“Always will,” Sam whispered back. Silence fell over them again, the only sound was Sam once again adjusting the blanket over them, and then the soft snore as he fell asleep.
“And I’ve got your back, Sammy. Bitch.” Dean smiled, sitting up so he could reach the lamp and flicking it off. He laid back down, feeling the rise and chest of his brother breathing beside him and knowing he couldn’t feel more at peace.
Chapter Three