Dean's head throbbed as he stalked around the Stanford campus, trying to find the cause for one of the sidewalk lights going out. Each puled of his head sent pain through his flesh, making him wince. The bright light of outside only intensified the pain, making his jaw clench as he looked up at the broken light.

A college student ran into him, making him growl and shoot a glare at the kid. It was a young boy who only reached his shoulder. The boy let out a yelp, scampering away from the dark look of the Winchester.

"What's got you in a pissy mood?" Dean heard a familiar voice behind him and turned, coming face-to-face with Sam, a grin splitting his cheeks as he realized it was his brother.

"Maybe it's your face." Dean replied before getting pulled into a hug by Sam. He didn't mind though. They both had been through too much together.

"Wow, your comebacks are better than usual. You're either drunk or hungover." Sam replied, pulling away and wrinkling his nose as he looked down at Dean. Dean rolled his eyes.

"I could be getting better at comebacks. Ever think of that?" Dean countered, though Sam only shook his head with a smirk.

"Hungover then. If you were drunk you would have insulted me." Sam replied and Dean threw his hands up in the air with a dramatic groan. How Sam always knew everything, he would never know.

"You got me. I went out and got drunk." Dean said before glancing at the black watch that was strapped across his wrist. "Is it lunch for you?"

"Yes it is. Come with me and we can hang out for a while." Sam said, pulling the backpack strap closer to his body. Dean nodded, feeling more relaxed than he had earlier. Together, they walked to one of the cafe's that dotted the campus.

"Why don't you get us a seat? I'll get the food." Sam suggested, his voice almost gentle. Dean knew what he was doing but didn't comment on it. His brother was just looking out for him after all.

He chose a seat by the windows of the building, staring at the students that passed by, letting his gaze wander over the dorms of the women that walked by as he waited. When Sam set the food down, he grinned, looking over the hamburger that laid in front of him.

"Sammy, you know what a man wants in life." Dean said, his mouth watering as he took a bit of the warm hamburger. He let out a small groan of appreciation at the taste. Sam arched one eyebrow, letting out a soft snicker of amusement before beginning to eat his salad.

"I'll keep that in mind if I ever need it." Sam replied, a mocking tone in his voice. A moment of silence passed between them before Sam spoke again, his voice hesitant. "How are you feeling Dean?"

"I feel fine, Sammy." Dean said, brushing off the question with a dismissing tone in his voice. Sam furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head in disagreement.

"Dean, bottling it up won't change what's happened. You need to talk to someone, anyone." Sam said, a desperation coming over his voice at Dean's stubbornness.

"Sam, drop it." Dean growled, a finalizing tone in his voice. Sam let out a resigned sigh, looking back at his salad and picking at it.

"Did you go to The Rose and Crown last night?" Sam asked, changing the subject to a more pleasant one. Dean grinned, nodding before taking another bite out of his burger.

"Dude. I'm telling you. Try those purple nurples." Dean said, letting out a soft chuckle at the face Sam made. He had to admit that the name wasn't that appealing, but the taste made up for that tenfold.

"No thanks. I'll stick to regular drinks." Sam replied, taking a bite of his 'rabbit food' as Dean called it. "Plus, I heard only one of the bartenders can make that drink. Doesn't that seem a little suspicious?"

"Cas is amazing. He must live in a liquor store with how well he pours drinks." Dean replied, taking a bite of his burgers. Sam arched one eyebrow, pausing midbite.

"Cas? Is that the bartender?" Sam asked, finally taking the bite. Dean nodded, licking some ketchup off his thumb.

"His full name is Castiel, but I call him Cas." Dean explained, finishing off his burger and letting out a content sigh. He pulled his drink to his lips, taking a long drought before putting it back in his place.

"And you know him well enough to give him a nickname, why?" Sam asked, staring at his brother suspiciously. Dean furrowed his eyebrows, catching the hidden meaning in Sam's voice.

"It's not like that. Sam, you know I can't..." Dean trailed off, shaking his head and looking down at the table.

"Dean, Dad is dead. He doesn't have control over you anymore. You can lo-"

I wish I was as strong as you are." Dean cut in, running his hand over his face. "I can't move on like you did. Everything that happened...I'm still trapped by him. I'm weak, Sammy."

"Dean." Sam said, making Dean look up and stare at the hopeful eyes of his brother. He knew this was the first time he's ever opened up to Sam, and that very thought gave him chills down his spine.

"You suffered much more than I did." Sam continued, concern in is eyes. "Dad put you through hell and back. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Dean didn't respond, but turned his gaze back to the table. His jaw clenched, and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. It was when Sam placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze that he flinched, looking at the sad eyes of his brother.

"I don't care that you like men too. If you want to date a guy, I'll support you every step of the way. Alright?" Sam urged, easing the pain thrumming in Dean's heart just a little. He let out a hesitant nod, a small flush coming over his face as he rubbed his mouth with his hands.

"Would you want to come with me to meet Cas then?" Dean mumbled, his heart picking up its pace in his chest. Sam only smile, giving him a small nod.

"Yeah, and I guess I could convince myself to try a purple nurple too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they got to the bar after Dean got off work, they were greeted with an unusually large crowd of people milling about the area. Sam and Dean exchanged glances before making their way over to the less crowded section of the bar. Dean caught Cas' eye, giving a small wave before sitting with his brother and waiting for the bartender to make his way over.

As soon as Castiel got in hearing range, Dean gave him his signature cheery smile. "Hey, Cas. Two purple nurples please." Dean said before glancing around the bar again with a wrinkled nose. "What's the special occasion? There's never this many people here."

"Bachelor party." Castiel replied as he began mixing the the drinks, looking at the crowd beside them with barely hidden distaste. "They've kept Hannah and I moving for the past hour. Be glad you can't hear out of that ear or it would be ringing from how much noise they're making."

Castiel paused, sliding both of them their drinks before glancing at Sam, one eyebrow arching curiously. "Who's this?" He asked, his gaze moving back to Dean.

"This is my brother, Sam." Dean replied, clapping his brother on the shoulder with a warm smile. "Sam, this is Castiel."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sam." Castiel responded, only to look back when another customer called for him. "I apologize for not being able to chat, Dean. Maybe we can meet for lunch tomorrow and talk?"

"Sure, I'm free tomorrow anyways." Dean replied, his heart skipping a beat as he looked at Sam. "You going to join us?"

Sam shook his head, picking up his drink as he gave his brother a knowing look. "Sorry, but I have homework I have to get finished for my last class." He replied, nudging Dean's leg encouragingly. Dean flushed, but cleared his throat, smiling at Castiel.

"See you tomorrow, Cas." Dean said, watching Castiel nod before going to do with the noisy customers.