Title: Pocket Memories
Author: vaderina
Rating: PG
Genre and/or Pairing: Castiel, Dean, Sam
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None (maybe slightly bittersweet!crack)
Word count: 556
Summary: Castiel has too many pockets to find something easily. So the Winchesters tell him to empty his pockets and are surprised by the results.

***

"So?" Dean looked at Castiel expectantly, "Where is it?"

Castiel had just appeared in the motel room the Winchesters were currently occupying. All Dean had been able to discern from their brief phone conversation was that Castiel had retrieved Ruby's knife. Castiel reached into his pocket. Then the other with a frown. Sam and Dean looked on as the angel searched his pockets, getting more flustered by the minute.

"Uh, you sure you had it?" Dean asked after a moment of awkward silence. Castiel nodded, a frown etched deep into his brow.

"Perhaps you could empty your pockets, might help." Sam suggested, indicating the small table next to them. Castiel hesitated, looking between the brothers.

"Dude, what? Just empty your stupid pockets." Dean had lost his patience.

"I would rather not." Castiel said, with a faint look of embarrassment, digging further into his pockets.

"Just do it already!" Dean snapped. Sighing and giving the brothers a final glance, the angel began to empty his pockets. The brothers looked on, incredulous, as what looked like a pile of junk gathered on the table. A receipt, a wrapper, a napkin, and cinema ticket, a broken pencil and a snapped leather cord amongst other things.

Dean huffed out a small laugh. "With all this junk in there, no wonder you can't find anything in there."

"They are not junk!" Castiel spoke defensively, snatching the cinema ticket from Dean's hand.

"But that ticket is from months ago. When we saw that crap film, you didn't even like it!" Dean protested.

"And the receipt and napkin, when we got pie and you got us ice cream." Sam chipped in. "And that pencil? Isn't that the one Dean broke when he got angry at the map?"

Finally Castiel found the knife and slammed it one to table, surprising the brothers. With one move, he began sweeping the pile of junk into his hands and putting it in various pockets.

"We were just saying a spring clean wouldn't hurt. That junk really must weigh you down when flying." Dean said, confused by the sudden anger.

"It is not junk." Castiel gritted out. "To you, it may be, but not to me." Only the leather cord remained on the table. Dean quickly picked it up before Castiel could stuff it into a pocket.

"This...hey! This is the cord from my amulet! What have you done to it?" Dean was outraged.

"It snapped in a battle. But I got a new one." Castiel reached out for the cord, catching it just before it landed in the bin Dean had held it over. Sam and Dean exchanged an all telling glance as the angel twisted the broken cord round his fingers, feeling the material run through his fingers. His head was bowed so neither brother could see the shame mixed with sadness displayed on his face. Pulling together, he looked up, only his eyes betraying his true feelings. Sensing something was wrong, Dean tried to make peace.

"Look, I didn't..."

"Save it." Castiel cut in, stuffing the cord into his pocket and was gone the next moment. Maybe the Winchesters didn't appreciate the small pieces of worthless ‘junk' he carried with him but they didn't have memories attached to each item. They may not have meant anything to them, but to Castiel they meant the world.

***

Next story in series - For You.