[ For a long moment, Dean doesn't respond, not even to the grip at his arm. This past month it feels a lot like Sodder has been going after the people he cares about, dragging them here from his world, from the alternate world. This thought that sticks in his mind that Lucifer's from his world, not Cas', starts to get more hypocritical than even he can handle.
Truth is, he arrived here almost six months ago and things hadn't been anywhere close to smooth with Cas. But honestly? It doesn't matter what world Cas is from, Dean still feels loyalty burn hot inside of him. Just like he feels protective over the Sam who's older than him. And, weirder, protectiveness over the younger version of himself fresh from Hell. Like he can tell Mini Me where he'd gone wrong, try give him the heads up not to make the same mistakes that he did.
Just because they're not from his world doesn't mean they're not part of what he considers his family.
Jack he doesn't have the measure of yet, and what he'd had to go on is the kid's family history. It's been almost impossible to separate those two things. But both Sams have asked him to cut the kid some slack, and that's been enough. He hadn't liked it, but he hasn't said a damn thing to the kid to upset him.
Knowing that Cas is here for Jack too? It's another voice he trusts added to a pile of reasons he shouldn't be so quick to leap straight to defensiveness in the face of everything. It's hard to work through, harder still to make himself do these things, but he does anyway. He's stubborn, an asshole, but if he's remembered anything over the last few months it's that family is all he's got. His purpose is all about family. ]
Yeah.
[ A single word, less sure than he usually sounds. Tiredness feels like it seeps deeper still, and eventually he looks up. ]
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Truth is, he arrived here almost six months ago and things hadn't been anywhere close to smooth with Cas. But honestly? It doesn't matter what world Cas is from, Dean still feels loyalty burn hot inside of him. Just like he feels protective over the Sam who's older than him. And, weirder, protectiveness over the younger version of himself fresh from Hell. Like he can tell Mini Me where he'd gone wrong, try give him the heads up not to make the same mistakes that he did.
Just because they're not from his world doesn't mean they're not part of what he considers his family.
Jack he doesn't have the measure of yet, and what he'd had to go on is the kid's family history. It's been almost impossible to separate those two things. But both Sams have asked him to cut the kid some slack, and that's been enough. He hadn't liked it, but he hasn't said a damn thing to the kid to upset him.
Knowing that Cas is here for Jack too? It's another voice he trusts added to a pile of reasons he shouldn't be so quick to leap straight to defensiveness in the face of everything. It's hard to work through, harder still to make himself do these things, but he does anyway. He's stubborn, an asshole, but if he's remembered anything over the last few months it's that family is all he's got. His purpose is all about family. ]
Yeah.
[ A single word, less sure than he usually sounds. Tiredness feels like it seeps deeper still, and eventually he looks up. ]
I understand.