anonymity was never an option

78: castiel

Cas was curled up on the black leather couch in the basement with a bowl of goldfish in his lap and his favorite red blanket draped across his shoulders. He was watching CNN before he went to bed, something he rarely got to do anymore, but always loved.

Castiel would never admit it but he lived for politics. People bickering over stupid shit was so entertaining. Obviously there was a solution, but both parties were just too headstrong to make a compromise and fix it. When he was younger, he would look up to his father and think maybe someday he could be better than him, maybe someday Castiel could be the president. He didn't really think about that anymore, he knew he wasn't equipped for the job. And he didn't really have a First Lady.

Could he be the first one to have a first... man? A gay couple in office? That's something Castiel thought he'd never live to see. What if he and Dean broke history? How iconic would that be?!

"Castiel?" A voice interrupted his day dream.

He turned over to the stairs where the voice came from and looked up to see his younger sister leaning against the wall.

"Hey..." He said quickly flipping off the tv. "I thought you guys weren't getting back until later."

"Mom wanted to come home. It's been awhile since she's had a shower." Anna tried to laugh, pushing herself off of the wall.

"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you too." She said walking over to his couch.

"Well I can't really stop you." Castiel mumbled, looking down into his bowl.

"I know you and I aren't exactly in a great place right now, but..."

"That's an understatement."

"Yeah okay, maybe it is... but I wanted to apologize." Anna sighed sitting down next to him.

"Mmmm... sounds fake but okay..." Castiel squinted his eyes as he stared at one of the goldfish in his bowl that was a little thicker than the others.

"I stepped out of bounds Cassie. It was not my place to tell mom, and while it was entertaining in the moment, I know it effects you so much more than I thought and I'm sorry for that."

"I am not your entertainment Anna. I'm your brother."

"I know." She held her hands down in her lap. "I know. But you also know me. Gabriel was telling me the gossip and it is my duty as the catty teenage girl of the family to spread it."

Cas laughed a little to himself. She was right. At least she knew she was a bitch.

"Castiel just please don't hate me forever. I'm already down one brother, I can't lose another."

"Anna..."

"Please." She interrupted.

"Anna I know. Okay I get it, you're fine. But don't think this doesn't make what you did fucked up in every way possible. You're gonna be making this up to me for awhile."

"I figured as much." She shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm surprised mom is even letting me stay here to tell you honestly."

"Well... I mean, she didn't really have a choice."

"What do you mean?" Castiel looked up and over at his sister. She looked down at the floor upon his eyes meeting hers.

"She really wanted Gabriel to come home, and he said he wasn't coming unless you were allowed to come with him."

"So she still doesn't care if I'm alive or dead... good to know."

"Yeah but Gabe does, Castiel. You may not think so, but he does care about you. When he texted me about you after that party, he was worried. He didn't know how to handle it without hurting you. He came home that night after you ran away and screamed me out. Gabriel has an odd way of showing it, but he does love you."

Castiel looked back down into his bowl, surprised a little to know Gabe wouldn't come here without him. If even the rest of the family was going to abandon him, Gabriel would still be there. Maybe the mantle of being the new oldest sibling was catching up with him. He was more like Michael than he thought.

He nodded his head, and tilted the bowl in his hands, making all the goldfish crowd to one side.

"Is Gabe back from getting Daniel at the airport yet?"

"No." Anna said sliding her foot out on the carpet.

"Are any of the cousins upstairs?"

"They were heading out when we were coming in." She sighed.

"Shit." Castiel mumbled.

"What?"

"It's just you and mom."

"Sooo?"

"So... I need to go upstairs, but I also don't want to get yelled at." He sighed, leaning his head back into the couch cushion.

"Well what do you need? I'll go grab it for you."

"My phone and charger from the living room."

"I'll be back in a sec." She pushes herself up off the couch.

"Thanks Anna." Castiel watched her walk across the carpet.

"Don't think this changes anything." He added with a laugh.

"Wouldn't dream of it." She smirked, heading up the stairs with a bounce in her step.