“Well, you were doing just fine yesterday without resentment.” Cas noted with a smile as he continued to write with one hand and gently comb through Tolly’s hair with the other. Cas glanced up after a few moments of silence as the bell to the door opened. Cas froze In place as the man turned and smirked at Cas, the same smirk he had seen before he had blacked out after the attack.
Tolly hummed quietly, enjoying the affection until Cas froze. He didn't recognize the guys face but the smell was familiar, that same sickly stench that had permeated the broken windows of the shop. He straightened up with a faint snarl, on his feet in a second so he could get face to face with the asshole who had hurt his boyfriend.
The man laughed softly when Tolly suddenly straightened “do I want to know what I just walked into?” He huffed another laugh and shook his head
Cas narrowed his eyes at him but made no move. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kick you out.”
He rested against the counter, the same stupid smirk on his face “cuz you couldn’t last time. Plus, I need your help. You of all people wouldn’t leave a helpless person alone right?” He asked sweetly, glaring at Tolly
Tolly glared right back, hands clenching into fists at his side as he and the intruder stared each other down. "He didn't have me last time," he said, barely able to keep the growl from his voice. Seeing this guy set every nerve on edge, had him straining against the instincts that were normally so easy to brush away. "Get out, before I make you."
“Sure you will, dog.” The man teased, focusing back on Cas who still hadn’t moved from his place.
“What do you want?” Cas hated how weak his voice sounded, despite all that had happened, he still couldn’t help but feeling terrified.
The man grinned widely “well you see, it’s not me. It’s a friend-“
Cas choked on a laugh and he shook his head “what? The same friend who kicked me or the friend who nearly set The shop on fire?”
The man tilted his all the bravado and macho personality dropping “actually no. He was trying to stop us.” He shook his head and smiled again “guess he didn’t convince enough huh. But anyways, he came down with something…something bad. We took him to the nurse but they couldn’t do anything. We can’t take him to the emergency, says he won’t move.”
Tolly pressed a little closer to Cas, eyes narrow and wary where they rested on the stranger's face. This man didn't deserve a place in Cas' shop, didn't deserve to have any space in his boyfriend's life, but he was here and Tolly's boyfriend probably wouldn't take kindly to him going full wolf and mauling some guy on the floor of his shop. He just shifted instead, angry energy coursing through him, barely restrained by his self control and Cas' presence by his side.
Cas gently rested a hand on Tolly But kept his eyes on the man. “You’re name.”
“What? So you can cast a spell on me like you did The dog?” He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think so. You know I could just threaten you again. I don’t haveto be this nice.”
Cas stiffened slightly beside Tolly But forced himself not to back away. “You could, but then there’s a less likely chance I’ll help you. And less likely of a chance Tolly will leave you more or less alive.”
The man breathed a sigh through his nose and rolled his eyes “my name is Milhail.”
Tolly set his hands heavily on the counter, leaning forward to growl at the man as Cas went stiff and unhappy by his side. If Cas wanted him to play guard dog he was more than happy to do it, especially since he was halfway to shifting and biting this guy's face off already. His teeth were sharp when his lips curled back, eyes dark and animalistic. When the guy gave up his name he backed up a little but he still wasn't happy, turning to Cas with a soft frown. "Why are you asking for him name, are you really gonna go help this asshole?"
Cas nodded slightly and took a deep breath. “His name is for later. And I'm not helping him. I’m helping his friend who actually deserves it.” Cas explained jerkin good his head to Mikhail “what are symptoms he’s been experiencing?”
Mikhail glared at Tolly, slowly losing his patience “I don’t know! He’s pale, he won’t eat, he’s shaking constantly. He’s warm but says he’s cold and he’s been saying there’s something next to him but nothings there.” He snapped, taking a slight step back from Tolly.
(Booping very lightly, no rush hope you had a great Valentine’s Day! <3)
(Sorry! I thought I sent a response, you have a good valentine's too!)
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Tolly glared right back, stepping forward until his hips hit the edge of the counter. Cas was right, of course he was, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it in the least. His boyfriend deserved better than this, and he didn't like the idea of Cas going off with this psycho.
"You can't seriously be considering this," he murmured, giving Cas a softer frown than he'd been starting Mikhail down with. "He's dangerous, what if it's a trick or something?"
Cas sighed softly still very concerned. Tolly brought up a very good point. What if this was a trap? He wouldn’t be able to do much against them. But if it was a person who needed help, he couldn’t just leave them to suffer.
“I can’t just leave them. What if they really do need help?” He whispered back, already making a mental list of what he needed to possibly treat the symptom Mikhail had said.
"What if they're not real, Cas?" Tolly finally tore his gaze fully away from Mikhail, attention centered only on his boyfriend. "What if it's just a trick? He rattled off some random list of symptoms, that doesn't mean someone's actually out there. I just…" he sighed quietly, taking Cas's hands gently in his. "… I don't want you to get hurt again. You don't owe them anything, not after what they did."
Makhail sighed and drummed his fingers against the counter. “I can prove it to you if you’re really that paranoid.” He pulled out a phone and dialed his friend’s number.
Cas glanced up at Tolly and gently squeezed his hand “I know that. But even if there is a small chance he’s telling the truth, I want to help.” He refocused on Mikhail, who had now started wandering around the shop, seemingly more worried as he spoke to the other person on the call.
Tolly sighed quietly, lacing their fingers together beneath the table. "I have every right to be paranoid after what happened last time you came here," he shot back, though his anger dimmed a little when the concern started rolling of Mikhail in waves. He turned back to Cas, frowning and obviously unhappy because he knew his boyfriend and he knew his worry for a patient was going to overpower his self preservation. "They can always go to a hospital if they're so upset. You're good, there's no denying that, but you're not a doctor."
Cas gently rested against Tolly. “Yeah, But you heard him. They tried to move them already. He can’t leave the house.” He said softly, watching as Mikhail stood still and nodded to whatever his friend was saying on the phone before turning to them, worry in his eyes. He showed them the phone, having switched it to FaceTime. Cas hesitantly looked at the phone and sighed softly. “He’s that bad?”
Tolly sighed quietly when Cas saw the phone, wrapping an arm around his waist. Even he could admit the guy looked like shit, which meant Cas probably saw a hundred different things he could help fix that he wasn't already fixing, which, in turn, meant that they were going to see this guy whether Tolly liked it or not. "Honey." He pulled Cas in closer. "They can always call in for someone, it's not your job to help them."
Despite the situation, Mikhail laughed, shaking his head. “Carefully Cas, this one’s controlling.”
Cas glared up at him “you want my help or not?”
The man rolled his eyes and went back to talking with his friend, asking if they had gotten better or worse and if new symptoms were rising.
Cas leaned into Tolly’s embrace, wanting to stay there forever and not deal with Mikhail. But he knew he’d worry himself to death if he didn’t do anything “Then What is my job, hm? If not helping people who come into my shop?” He said, reaching and pressing a kiss to Tolly’s cheek before gently pulling out of his embrace, finding the few baskets he had salvaged from the fire and using them to collect an assortment of vials and herbs he thought would help. “Is he allergic to anything?”
Mikhail shook his head, saying a few more words before hanging up. “No, not that we know of.” He glanced at Tolly and smirked, unable to help himself
Tolly sighed as he pulled away, offering Mikhail a dark look in return. He didn't put up any more protests when Cas started gathering up ingredients, accepting the lost cause for what it was. "I hope you know I'm coming with you." He followed after his boyfriend, helping him gather up what little they had. "And I'm not letting you out of my sight, either. If they try to jump you they're gonna have to deal with me."
“Alright, I’m fine with that.” He said, setting a few more things in the baskets.
“Well i mind! If he’s not helping he’s not coming.” Mikhail growled, standing by the door to leave.
“He is helping.” He nodded to the basket Tolly held. “And he’s coming, whether you like it or not.” Cas said, going to the inventory room to find a few specialty items he had gathered from home.
Tolly gave him a tight smile, scooping up the basket of supplies and taking the opportunity to throw Mikhail a dark, pleased little smirk. At least he could get one over on this asshole, even if he didn't change anything else. "You want him, you get me, that's the deal. If you don't like it you can always piss off and forget about asking us for anything."
Mikhail glared back but said nothing as Cas came back, basket full with miniature mortars and pestles. He glanced between the two before nodding to Mikhail. “Lead the way.”
Mikhail rolled his eyes and shoved his way out of the store, waiting outside as the other gathered and closed down the shop for now.
Tolly wrapped an arm around his waist as they made their way out, tucking Cas up against his side protectively. "Any idea what it is yet?" He glanced down at his boyfriend, curious. If he was going to tag along with this, he figured it would be smart to understand the basics of what was happening. "Or are you just gonna wing it when you get in there?"
As smiled softly and gratefully pressed against Tolly's side, resting his arm around his waist as well. "So far, I'm.judt winging it. It was hard to say what it was on the phone. It'll be easier to see what they have in person." He glanced up at his boyfriend and offered a small smile "thank you for coming."
Tolly laughed quietly, shaking his head. "You realize we're probably not going to help much, right? Especially not if we can't figure out what's wrong with him." He kept his voice quiet enough that Mikhail wouldn't overhear it, tucking Cas a little closer to his side. "And of course I'm coming, how could I possibly leave you alone?"