Castiel just stares at Charlie blankly as she explains how her LARPing group is doing, or something like that. She seems so excited, he doesn't have the heart to tell her that he has absolutely no idea what she's talking about.

He suffers through that for about ten minutes until Michael and Lucifer finally join them again, and even Castiel who saw Michael crying can't see and evidence of it. He's a hell of an actor, that's for sure. He can't help but wonder if he's done this before — acted like he was okay when there's something tearing him apart inside.

"Took you long enough," Samandriel says, glancing over at them.

"I attacked him with my deadly cuddles and he couldn't move," Lucifer tells him with a grin. He's a pretty good actor, too.

The doorbell rings, and instantly, Anna is out of her bedroom. She runs over to the door, but opens it as if she was just leisurely strolled by it as the doorbell rang to reveal Cain. He and Castiel have only seen each other twice, so it might seem weird that he's coming to his birthday party, but Castiel told everyone they could bring friends if they wanted. It's not like he has enough friends to really fill up the place.

"And who's that?" Balthazar asks, as he's done with Claire, Charlie, Kevin, and Garth already.

"Anna's boyfriend, Cain," Castiel explains.

"We don't like him," Lucifer adds.

"No, you don't like him," Gabriel corrects him. "I personally haven't formed an opinion on him yet."

"I think we mostly think he's kinda meh," Samandriel adds. 

"Okay then..." Balthazar replies.

"And Anna will kill you if you say something to or around him that she doesn't like, so watch out," Gabriel tells him.

"Noted."

~~

"Cake time!" Gabriel announces. "Everyone, sit down." Castiel makes a move to sit, but then Gabriel adds, "Except you."

His cocks his head in confusion but obliges anyway.

"Be right back," he says quickly before disappearing, returning a few moments later with a large chair that should be floating with how many birthday balloons there are on it. "Squish in. The end of the table is for the birthday boy."

Castiel raises an eyebrow. "Okay, and I needed a chair that big because?"

"Because it's your birthday, and you get special privilege," Gabriel replies, placing the chair at the end of the table.

"I really don't need — okay then."

Satisfied now that he's forcefully pushed Castiel into his chair, Gabriel plops down in the chair next to him. Michael is the one to carry the cake over, taking over Chuck's responsibility while he's (still) out working in... wherever it was he went. Research for a book, maybe?

He sets it down on the table gently, and as he disappears to get a lighter, knife, plates, silverware, and so on, Castiel takes a moment to marvel at how huge this thing is. This could last him a week, eating it three meals a day.

Feeling guilty about making Michael get everything, Castiel starts to get up, but Gabriel grabs him by the arm so he can't.

"Hey, birthday boy doesn't do any work," he scolds his brother.

"But I don't want Michael to have to do it by himself!" Castiel protests.

"He's the oldest. It's his job."

"Lucifer's my age," Michael calls from the kitchen.

"I'm three minutes younger," Lucifer corrects him.

"You act like you're ten years younger, though," Samandiel adds.

"Make it fifteen," Castiel says. "I think he's more of a ten year old than a fifteen year old."

"I second that," Lucifer tells him.

Michael finally joins them again, holding a stack of paper cups, a lighter, and a pile of paper plates in one hand and a large knife and a stack of napkins in the other. He drops them all on the table and disappears again, returning with a large bottle of Sprite and Coke in one hand and a stack of mint chocolate chip, chocolate, vanilla, and cookies and cream ice cream in the other, which he gently places on the table as well.

"You want to light them?" Michael offers, holding the lighter out to Castiel.

"Can I?" Lucifer asks excitedly. "I wanna burn stuff!"

"I'll do it," Castiel says quickly. He takes the lighter and gives Michael the chance to sit down.

"Hold on," Lucifer stops him, pulling out his phone. Castiel doesn't even have to ask to know he's setting up a Facebook live stream again. "And... action!"

Castiel just shakes his head at the boy. He attempts to light the lighter, but after fifteen failed attempts, he starts losing hope. Not to mention the fact that his brothers are laughing at him, but that's basically the norm around there.

"I'll do it," Lucifer offers.

Castiel hesitates, then hands it to him. "If you light anything on fire but the candles, I swear to god, Lucifer..."

"I find your lack of faith disturbing," Lucifer replies before starting the lighter first try. Just kidding. He has about as much luck as Castiel did.

Michael sighs and snatches it from him, this time starting it first try for real. Castiel just gapes at him. How did he...?

"Let me guess," Lucifer says with an exaggerated frown. "Not only do you drink, but you smoke, too?"

Michael scoffs. "I'm going into the medical field. Of course I don't smoke."

"The fact that you got the lighter working that easily says otherwise," Balthazar says.

"Because I'm better at something that Lucifer? Shocker," Michael deadpans.

"No, because you're that much better than Castiel," Balthazar clarifies.

"I second that," Castiel adds. "We're supposed to share the skills, Michael. What gives?"

"I do a lot of science experiments?" Michael says uncertainly. "Sometimes they involve lighters? I don't really know what you're looking for here."

"They're just proving you're a nerd," Claire tells him.

"I thought we established this a long time ago," Michael replies. "I'm the nerdy, mature one and Lucifer's the strange, childish one."

"Hey!" Lucifer whines. "Actually, yeah, that's fair. Anywho, cake! Let's sing!"

"No, guys, you don't have to —" Castiel protests, but is cut off when Lucifer begins singing, soon joined by the others. Castiel just buries his head in his hands and waits for it to be over.

"Make a wish!" Samandriel says when they're done.

Castiel goes to blow out the candles as he does every year, but pauses. He's never actually made a wish before, but maybe... Well, there's a first time for everything. But he can only make one wish a year, so what should he use his on for this year?

Castiel takes a deep breath, casting his gaze skyward as he wishes for the thing he wants the most.

I just wish I could feel something again.