Messy
Cas stopped Dean at the door, looking hesitant about bringing the boy into the realm of the Novak household.
"I should warn you," He began. "Our house is a little.... messy."
"You've got six siblings and one parent," Dean reminded him. "I think I can understand if your house is a little messy." Cas made a face, because clearly Dean was underestimating it, but he let him in, both of them surveying the space.
Castiel, like all the Novaks, took a certain sense of pride in the house. Sure, it was a mess, but it was their mess. It was home.
The kitchen walls and cabinets were still permanently stained pink from a blender explosion Luci and Gabe caused years ago. The back wall of the living room still had a poorly painted mural, courtesy of Hannah and Balthazar. There were unidentifiable stains on the hardwood floors, the remnants of paint, glitter, glue, dirt, spilt food, the list went on. The door frames were lined with little marks, recording the height of all seven kids throughout the years. There was a pencil jammed in the ceiling, the hall light had been broken for at least three years, the railing on the stairs had been cracked for years after an incident involving Michael and Gabriel and loose teeth.
There were sharpie doodles on the doors, books and pens and items of all kinds were carelessly left about. Framed and unframed pictures of the kids, of family and friends, lined the walls and littered the tops of end tables. The couch was old and ratty, covered in at least three blankets to hide the fact, but the bookcases were perfectly organized and clean.
It was messy. But it was home. And it was definitely lived in.
"Warned you it was messy," Cas insisted. He led Dean to the kitchen, passing a black door with various satanic symbols and GET OUT signs covering it.
"Let me guess," Dean offered. "That's Lucifer's room."
"Actually it leads to the basement," Cas countered. "Which we turned into Lucifer and Charlie's rooms. Separate rooms, technically. Dad put up a wall one summer. So they live down there, Michael has his room to himself now, Hannah and Anna share, I share with Gabriel, and Balthazar just kinda roams about."
"You make me sound like some sort of nomad, Cassie," Balthazar declared, waltzing in.
"Well where IS your bedroom anymore? Last time I saw you asleep somewhere in the house, you were passed out drunk on Hannah's bed."
"Yes, because Hannah is my apprentice and my best friend, and you should always pass out drunk in the bed of someone you trust." Balthazar countered. "And it's not like you can pass out in many places in this house without Lucifer and Gabriel getting to you."
"They can practically smell vulnerability," Cas declared. Dean grinned.
"The more I hear about your family, the more I like them." He insisted.
"Well then you're the first," Balthazar said. "Most people run for the hills when they get to know us."
"Well then they're stupid. You guys are awesome."
"Yes," Balthazar nodded. "Okay Cassie, he's got my approval. Just don't wake the whole house up when you two inevitably bang."
"BALTHAZAR!"
"Hey, I keep my orgies quiet. You could at least do the same for me." Cas facepalmed, his face going red.
"Aren't you supposed to be in school right now?" He asked. Balthazar shrugged.
"Aren't you?"
"I had study hall."
"And I had gym. Both are pointless, but since I am an oh so wonderful sibling, I'm gonna go thrift shopping so you two can canoodle." Cas's face went redder as Balthazar waved a goodbye and flounced out of the house.
"I think Balthazar might be my favorite out of all your siblings." Dean commented.
"Usually people like Satan or Gabe better."
"Yeah, but Gabriel is trying to date my little brother, so he can die in a ditch for all I care."
"That's fair." They headed up the stairs towards Cas's room.
"So it's just all you guys and your dad here?" Dean questioned.
"Yep! Well, technically Michael's in college, so he's not here as much, although he still lives here. And Aunt Amara drops by at least once a day to make sure nobody's died and that we haven't driven my dad completely insane. Plus everyone's always got friends. Chloe- that's Lucifer's girlfriend- she's always over here, and Charlie technically lives here although she roams around town enough that we usually forget that. We deemed her an honorary Novak when her parents died and said she was always welcome here, so I think she interpreted that as she could barge in whenever she wanted and nobody cares. Which is completely true."
"Nice," Dean thought for a moment. "Sorry if I'm crossing a line, but I'm curious. What about your mom?" Cas stopped.
"What?"
"What happened to your mom?" Cas blinked, wracking his brain. His mother. His mother...
He couldn't remember a single time she had been mentioned.
He couldn't remember a single time he'd even thought about her. None of his siblings had asked about her, to his knowledge anyway.
He didn't think he had ever gotten an explanation for why they didn't have a mom.
"I..." Cas stammered, thrown completely off guard. "I don't know." Dean nodded, figuring he had overstepped.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"No, I mean I actually don't know. We've never talked about her." Cas stared. "I don't even know her name."
"That's a little weird," Dean frowned. His father was never discussed either, but Dean still knew who he was.
"That is weird," Cas frowned, suddenly troubled. Why had no one ever mentioned his mother before?
Why hadn't he ever questioned why she wasn't there?
Was she dead? Did she leave? What had happened?
Dean had unknowingly sent Cas into a sudden crisis. Who was his mother?
"I'm gonna have to ask about that," He insisted. And he would.
Why hadn't anyone even thought to tell him about his mother before?
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