CastieI is a lot less nervous heading inside this time. He already knows what to expect. He already knows who to expect. That doesn't mean he's not nervous at all, though. It's going to be so nice to talk to his brothers again, but he can't help but feel like he's going to fuck it up somehow. This is probably going to be the last time he sees them. He'd like it to end on a high note.

Dean steps through the door first, and with a single clap of his hands, he says, "Good news! Poker night just got a little bigger."

"Ah, hell yeah," Gabriel whispers, and the first thing Castiel sees when he steps into the apartment is his brother pumping his fist.

"Only if he sits next to me," Lucifer says, already moving his chair over.

"And me, right?" Gabriel asks as if Lucifer didn't just make space between them for that exact reason.

"Sure, unless Dean steals your spot," Lucifer says teasingly.

"Oh, hell no," Gabriel says immediately. "If Dean's gonna steal anyone's spot, it's gonna be yours."

CastieI crosses his arms, amused. At least he knows they still love him.

"Not a chance," Lucifer says. "I called dibs first."

"You did not!" Gabriel practically yells it. "You never once said the word "dibs."

In the most predictable turn of events, they both yell, "Dibs!" in unison.

"Or how about," Mick says in that British accent that Castiel really likes for no discernable reason, "you let Castiel choose where he wants to sit?"

CastieI chuckles nervously. "I know you're trying to help, but that really just puts a lot of pressure on me." He really wants to sit with his brothers, but it's Dean who invited him — and, in all honesty, Dean is the only one that he can be confident he still knows.

"You should just sit between Mick and Benny so no one wins," the boy CastieI doesn't recognize says.

Though it was obvious a joke, Castiel and Benny both respond with a very emphatic, "No!" after which Castiel adds, "No offense, Mick," as an afterthought.

"You could sit between Claire and Kaia," Benny says. "That way you really piss everyone off."

Castiel throws his head back with an exasperated groan. "If I'd known you all somehow got even more annoying in the last 13 years, I never would have agreed to play."

Though Dean had looked incredibly amused at the whole situation, he finally decides to step in. "As much as I appreciate the hesitation, I think we both know you want to sit with your brothers."

Castiel shrugs sheepishly. He's not wrong.

"Go 'head, I'll grab a chair." He claps Castiel on the back once before walking away. He's barely out of sight when he calls back, "Jack, you wanna play now?"

Castiel hadn't even noticed the kid standing against the wall, but it's impossible to miss the way he perks up at that and gives an immediate reaction of, "Yes, please!"

CastieI gives him a smile. He really is the cutest person on the planet, isn't he? How he and Claire ended up becoming two completely different people despite presumably having basically the same upbringing will forever remain a mystery.

"Well, while we're waiting... " Lucifer gets up and walks over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. "We missed you, Cas. It hasn't been the same since you left."

"I missed you, too," Castiel says.

"Oh, hey," Gabriel says, "at the risk of implying that seeing you again isn't enough — which it is — where the fuck is Sam? We're still one dumbass short of our usual dumbass salad."

Castiel glances around to make sure Dean isn't around (he's not sure whether Sam is a sore subject) before he says, "I honestly have no idea. We kinda fell out of touch a year or two after we reached California. Last I saw him, he was working on becoming a lawyer or something."

"Huh," Gabriel hums. "Good for him." He doesn't seem to think much of it, but it still seems genuine.

"See," Dean says, choosing that moment to reappear, a fold-up chair on each arm, "that's what a self-respecting ex-gang member should do when they decide to pursue an outside career: keeping people like us out of prison instead of throwing us in."

Castiel crosses his arms. "Well, maybe if you hadn't murdered someone, we wouldn't be looking for you right now.".

"Right," Dean says sarcastically, "because you only look for killers. You'd never bother yourself with drug crimes. It's not like you were a narc for a few years — oh, wait a second, I forgot."

Castiel presses his lips into a firm line and doesn't respond. He wouldn't know how to respond. Dean has a point, as much as he hates to admit it — and he sure as hell won't admit it aloud. He knows he's a good person and that he's making the world a better place and he won't let Dean take that from him.

"Well," Claire mutters, "this is fun."

"Welcome back, brother," Benny adds, not an ounce of sincerity in his voice. "You always know how to brighten up a room."

Castiel runs a hand through his hair. "You know what? I'm not really up for poker. I think I'm just gonna go." He should've known this wasn't going to work out. Too much has changed.

Lucifer blocks the exit before he can leave. "Cas, sit your ass down in that chair right now or I swear to god..."

"Luce --"

"This is not optional," Lucifer says sternly. "Sit. I'm not letting you leave right after you came back."

"Well, it looks like you're outnumbered," Castiel says. More sympathetically, he adds, "It was really nice to see you again, but I think I've overstayed my welcome."

"Cas!" Gabriel whines. "You just got here!"

Dean holds a chair out to him. "Cop or not, I still think you should stick around."

"That's the vibe I'm getting from exactly three people and you are none of them." The three people are, of course, Lucifer, Gabriel, and Jack, though he supposes he could have included Mick if he'd wanted to. He hasn't really said anything, but CastieI still believes it.

"Oh, come on," Dean says, rolling his eyes. "I was just teasing."

If this is Dean's idea of teasing, that's just another strike against this. "Goodbye, guys."

"Cas..."

CastieI gives his brothers an apologetic smile, but he can't help feeling bad. They look so heartbroken. This wasn't the big reunion he'd sure they'd hoped for — it sure as hell isn't for him — but at least he knows that Jack has the notes for them. He's not completely leaving on a bad note.

He barely catches a glimpse of Dean's frown as he turns to leave. He should have listened to his instincts. Coming here was a bad idea. He reaches for the doorknob —

"I'm sorry, okay?" Dean says. "I'll stop bitching about you being a cop. Now will you sit down and shut up so I can deal you in?"

Even though he knows he should leave, he finds himself hesitating. That was such a shitty apology and it doesn't sound genuine in the slightest, but...

"You got him to backtrack and apologize," Mick remarks. "You can't humor him just a little?"

Castiel scowls. He really shouldn't be rewarding him for doing this bare minimum, but it's more than he'd expected, and it shows that even if he still holds that grudge, at least he cares.

CastieI sighs and turns back around. "Are we playing with real money? 'Cause I ain't paying to spend a night with you fuckers."

Dean grins. "For you? No charge."