The rest of the week was incredibly boring for Dean. Without working, he wasn't sure what else he could do other than sit around Bobby's home and do nothing. He didn't really feel like going anywhere, other than to visit Castiel like he always did, and it was slowly driving him crazy.

He settled with watching boring soap operas - that he secretly got into - until two, where he finally got up and pulled on his leather jacket. He was putting on his shoes when Sam walked through the door, his backpack slung on one shoulder. Dean smiled in greeting, clapping his younger brother on the back.

"You want to go visit Cas with me? He could use some more company other than me." Dean offered. He had told Sam and Bobby about Castiel, but not much, just that he was a patient and a friend. Sam nodded, sliding his backpack to the ground by the door.

"Sure, it's a weekend anyways." Sam said with a shrug before heading back out the door. Dean followed, fishing the Impala keys out of his pocket as he went. Together, they both got in the beloved black vehicle and backed out of Bobby's driveway, heading towards the hospital.

They chatted about simple things, such as what Sam's work was like in school. Sam complained for half of the time about something Gabriel had done to their biology teacher, making her hate the both of them. Dean only laughed, knowing that whatever Gabriel had done had to be funny. The teen may be a dick, but he had some of the best pranks.

It was when they pulled into the parking lot that Dean switched off the engine and glanced over at Sam. "Ready?" Dean asked, feeling somewhat nervous about Sam meeting his new friend. He didn't know why, but it felt like if they didn't get along, it would be the end of the world.

"Yeah, Dean. I'm not going into battle or anything." Sam said with a roll of his eyes, getting out of the Impala. Dean couldn't help but grin at his brother's smartass responses, getting out as well. He patted the car affectionately, like he always did, before leading his brother into the hospital.

He waved to a couple of nurses as they headed to the patient floor, having become friendly with them during his daily visits. Sam chuckled quietly behind him, and Dean glanced back, seeing a look of amusement on his brother's face.

"God, you act like you're meeting your friends at a bingo competition." Sam said with a smirk, making Dean roll his eyes at his brother. He gave him the infamous Winchester bitch-face, before turning his head forwards.

"If you must know Sam. A lot of the nurses tend to find me charming." Dean replied evenly, ignoring his brother's laugh as they took the elevator to the third floor. Once the doors opened, he led the way down the hallway, walking as if he grew up there, until he reached Castiel's room.

He glanced back at Sam, his nervousness returning as he knocked on the door, hearing the voice of Ellen acknowledging them and opening the door. He allowed Sam to walk in first before following.

Dean grinned in greeting at Castiel as the boy looked first at Sam, then at Dean. His face lit up brightly, and he gave a small wave before allowing Ellen to finish her check up. When she was done, she looked at the brothers, a smile splitting her face.

"Hey Dean. If I remember correctly from his last visit, he's Sam?" Ellen said, holding out her hand. Sam nodded and took it, shaking her hand firmly and friendly before letting go. "It's nice to see you two again. I'll let you catch up with Castiel."

She left the room, allowing the room to fall quiet as Dean and Sam took a seat in the chairs by the bed. Castiel tipped his head, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at the younger Winchester curiously.

"When you said younger, I did not imagine..." Castiel trailed off, squinting his eyes and looking from Sam to Dean and back again. Dean groaned as he realized that Castiel was speaking of Sam's ridiculous height, leaning back in his chair and giving Sam a playful shove.

"Yeah, I know. He's ridiculously tall." Dean replied, glaring at his smirking brother. Sam shrugged, grinning as he turned back to Castiel.

"I'm Sam. It's nice to finally meet you." Sam introduced, smiling at Castiel in a friendly manner. Castiel gave a small smile back, studying Sam with a new interest.

"My brother talked about a Sam the last time he visited. Wouldn't stop speaking about him actually." Castiel commented, rubbing his arm. Dean arched one eyebrow, feeling incredibly curious. "Do you know a boy named Gabriel Shirley?"

Sam tensed, and Dean found himself clicking two and two together. "You're dating Cas' brother?" Dean asked, a shocked look coming over his face as he stared at his younger brother. Sam looked over at him, just as much shock in his eyes.

"You two are dating?" Castiel asked, looking more confused than anything. Sam looked between the two older teens, slowly nodding as he answered both their questions. Castiel and Dean exchanged glances of confusion. There was a moment of silence, until Dean felt the overwhelming need to break it.

"Well, this is the most awkward thing." Dean commented, rubbing the back of his neck. Castiel nodded, looking just as awkward as the older Winchester felt. Sam rubbed his arm, slowly standing, refusing to look at either of them.

"I'm going to go get something to drink. I'll be back in a minute." Sam said, almost embarrassedly, before walking out of the room before either of them could say anything. Dean sighed, leaning on his knees as he rubbed his hand furiously through his hair.

"That was something I did not see coming." Dean admitted, looking at his friend a bit sheepishly. Castiel nodded, seeming to having got over his initial shock by now.

"I didn't expect Gabriel to be crushing on your brother, that was for sure." Castiel said, looking down at his lap. Dean grunted in agreement before sighing. He watched the black-haired teen silently for a moment, frowning as he noticed something he wished he hadn't.

"Cas...." Dean trailed off for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing in worry as he stood, getting closer to the bed. "Is your hair falling out?"

Castiel flinched, not looking up from his lap. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice." Castiel mumbled in response, his fingers digging into his arm. Dean took a deep breath, slowly reaching out and brushing his hand through Castiel's hair to see it clearly.

Spots of hair was missing, some looking like it was about to fall out, complete patches of no hair in places. He felt his heart rip in two as Castiel shook underneath him, and he sighed, removing his hand and freezing as he found a small clump of hair come off with it.

He pushed the hair into the trash before looking at Castiel, noticing how pale his face got. The sick teen had a hand over his mouth in what Dean thought to be hiding his whimpers, until he saw blood bead from between Castiel's fingers.

"Another nosebleed?" Dean asked, forcing himself to remain calm as he grabbed some tissues and handing them to Castiel. The black-haired teen instantly did as he done before, applying pressure to his nose and letting what blood escaped drip onto the tissue he held under it. Dean waited silently, wetting a paper towel that he pulled off a roll he found before moving back over to the boy.

When Castiel removed the tissue and gave a small nod, Dean began gently cleaning away the blood, making sure not to press too hard and restart the nosebleed. He heard the door open again, and Sam walked back in, clutching his phone instead of a drink.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked, worry threading his voice as he saw the blood on Castiel's face and hands. Dean nodded, motioning to the paper towels.

"Could you wet another one of those for me? He had a nosebleed." Dean said, continuing on his gentle cleaning. When he finished with the teen's face, he took the paper towel he got from Sam and took Castiel's hand in his, wiping away the blood carefully.

"You're okay." Dean whispered when he finished, throwing both the paper towels and tissues away before stepping back from Castiel, letting his eyes wander of the black hair of the boy. He was going to miss the wild strands of hair.

Castiel nodded, looking back at his lap, scratching his arm. Both Dean and Sam took a seat, and Dean glanced over at his younger brother as he checked his phone, reading a message for a moment before furiously typing.

"Who are you messaging?" Dean asked curiously, wondering who could make his brother so angry. Sam shrugged, not really answering as he locked his phone and set it on his overly-long leg. Dean stared at him for a minute, but realizing he was not going to get an answer, turned back to Castiel.

The rest of the visit was of light chats, interrupted a couple times from Sam's phone ringing. Each time the younger brother left the room to answer, Dean found himself drawing closer and closer to Castiel, only to return to his seat when he heard the door open. He had no idea what he was doing, but he knew that the teen needed comfort.

So, when it was time for them to leave, he sent Sam on ahead before pulling Castiel into a gentle hug, his heart stinging as he rubbed the boy's frail back, feeling the spine protruding from his skin. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Dean whispered in Castiel's ear before pulling away. The blue-eyed teen nodded, staring up at him with such a sadness that Dean had to look away to keep from crying. And with that face permanently etched into his mind, he left.